Halo: K-2L
by Korgeta
Summary: Out there in the stars are memories, markings of war, places of journey, and mystery. A spartan is to travel to these stars. John-117, Master chief, has traveled across such stars. There is one star however that gave him his greatest pain, and from that pain comes his greatest foe...
1. Chapter 1

**Halo: K-2L**

 _Prologue_

* * *

"You can revise the facts as much as you want doctor, but your account is not the truth of what happened."

The figurehead of defiance and arrogance fell quiet once again, just as she thought she had the final word, the winning quotation of her own lecture did the interrogator foil it with his own, his voice was calm, and had as much self-conviction as her own. At some point a drip of information was revealed, but nothing she hadn't already said to those that questioned her. She just knew how to reword them, the interrogator knew and countered with questions that narrowed her stream of ready answers, the flow of choice in her response was drying up over time here...wherever this was. Dim neon light, a table of basic design and walls of metal with no time. In here was an eternity, wherever here was. Catherine did not play to the tune of rising anger, there was no sigh just a moment's stare in the other direction and looked back at him, despite her age the eyes were not tired, the strain of stress was visible but her character did not falter to this "game"

"This did happen; I was supported, and funded, by the UNSC, to do what was right. I, a government employee followed orders. If a solider does not shoot when told, is that solider then a hero, or a traitor? My work came by orders; I was doing what the law told me to do"

"Your reason ignores the circumstance"

"Does it? This government gambled unity with accepted calls for referendums long before, and they lost. They thought they win the vote and system after system that had the chance to say no, took it. Do you honestly think the UNSC could endure a second breakaway as demands for it grew? You think we could have coped with a "second federation?" How had we have fared if that was the result and the Covenant came? In the face of us falling apart, what choice was there? No. There could be no more votes, no appeasement, just unity, and as was instructed I gave UNSC just that."

"Then it is fortunate for you that the Covenant did arrive, justifying the creation of your own shock troops militia, history would look at you as a tyrant if it were any different.

"They are not thugs. They are Spartans, they are..."

The man leaned forward resting his chin on the back pal of his arched arms; she had just about walked into it.

"You were going to say it weren't you?"

"No"

"My children, yes?"

"..."

"Every reveal exposes you as a profession of a cult then of science"

"I will not take that kind of slander to my face!"

"For example" Her anger was tempered by what she saw, it quelled her to a state of shock, what was before her a memory, that in the form of a charred play log, long destroyed, its contents impossible to reveal, yet...if so then why was it brought to her?

The investigator knew of course, he was a man of reasoning, not of mind but every word was with intent to the chain the next, and his action was to chain the bigger reveal.

"This, was found, among the burn and discarded. This was more than a secret; it's an act of shame, isn't it?"

Catherine's hardened look also deserted her, swept more so by the softening regret, it was a content that hurt more than any augmentation could.

"There are times, when injustice must be seen so something can be done. I had to break the core to bring out the best"

"And by best you mean the master chief, yes?" The Investigator pressed on. "Glimpses were revealed in the footage Catherine you obtained"

Was that a lie? how much was left, could they had salvaged everything or was this a test at her mentality to see her crack, even if this was a loss of face, she will still have the last say in this, but found herself repeating a similar line from before.

"The UNSC gave me..."

"You mislead the UNSC; you got hold of content that was classified." Shooting down the defense immediately, he wasn't giving a chance for her to skirt round the issue.

Catherine looked away, silent in protest, giving herself a moment to think what to say next. Rarely there was a tap of impatience with the investigator asserting his demand once again.

"Doctor, what did you show?

She turned to the man, pause, eyes shown weariness of age but engaged long enough to let out a single word.

"Truth"

* * *

AN: I have seen a friend halo, and rest I had to do research on, it is quite a complex series to look at, while I'm staying more faithful to halo's timeline (as much as I can) I will be graphing Metroid onto halo, I'm approaching it as if this was a DLC mission pack. Remember to keep alerts on if your following, I can't promise frequent updates.


	2. Last hours of the Aegis I

**Last hours of the Aegis I**

* * *

 **00:01**

The night staff were greeted, according to digits on a clock they were night staff, a trek down the walkway and a chance to see outside of the metal confinement that travelled ventured into the abyss that was space.

The ship must have clocked thousands of hours of deep space exploration and conflict. The wear and tear of the surface can be refitted, but the effect of this kind of journey took its toll on the way people acted, appeared and how people can one day be talking to you and the next be there upon a wall as a portrait to all those who raise a honoured glass to.

It was a culture that took getting some use to, to show empathy when you couldn't care less, took a level of acting.

To appear on the bridge at an off time when supposed to be sleeping and yet brush away those initial suspicions by bringing in snacks and well-intention, eyeing the people that were selected from the start and apply the charm. Greet them all with a smile, just smiling at how utterly stupid they were to take in the trust and not know what was actually happening.

Still the part was played, the specific bonding with certain people was paying off, it helped to know their rostra and personal background, small talk or quietly prying into their hacked files and leaving everything as it was. It didn't matter how, just that it worked and in time the knowledge to know who was on and who wasn't was crucial, especially when senior staff were about. Their absent meant staff can be more at ease, casual, unguarded and unwitting. Everything planned and was going as it was to be expected. Pawns blindly giving away the checking point.

Amidst the good commutation, a casual stroll was made towards a terminal, they assuming nothing when the excuse of 'left some notes' was made, when anyone who worked on the day would most certainly know better. If only there was an opportunity to laugh as well.

Such utter ignorance. Such reservations were kept private and the charm kept up the outside exterior of the façade.

A small compartment was opened and the notes were inside as promised, what was revealed was actually the excuse when in secret several items were bungled in along with a mask.

The compartment was closed and locked and the smiles and formalities continued, the next security sweep was not for another twelve hours, life was all about tragedy anyway.

If there was a regret it was that those simple bastards won't be amongst the day staff when the treachery starts.

Not to worry "God" did say he will take care of the rest.

* * *

 **0600**

The research team boasted a combination of talent and experience, supported by a healthy amount of funding and a ship orbiting above them. The _Aegis Fate_ was somewhere out there, like a predator watching the herd graze as it waited just observing from the surrounding tall grass. In some respects, that was how the senior command acted, they simply waited knowing it was a matter of when before a discovery was made.

Fielding Rushmore, the night's co-ordinator was a 40 year something man, growing bald and broad and centralised so to speak round the stomach, he was a good man but even good men get tired and he just wanted to go to bed in the transporter that docked on the planet and would hopefully fly away from this wasteworld besieged by nuclear duststorms and seismic activity, some at a scale of 10, bad intel nearly cost the life of one member the other week when it kicked off and some needed were taken to the supply base at the other star system for extensive medical treatment.

A very dangerous world, and the window to study was limited with the swirls of nuclear duststorms, this world was a freak of discoveries but the one that matter had still eluded them.

It was tiring, trekking, working and navigating and feeling the sweat build and the irritation not to be able to scratch that one itch was aggravating as well! He was getting tired as his shift neared the end and tired of hearing his breath rasp against the visor, even if the alterative was to breathe in a radioactive dust he was still tired of wearing the blasted thing!

Sadly against his hopes he quickly realized he would have to wait a bit longer, whoever saw Doctor Luther Mann knew they were about to get a job on their hands.

Fielding was already making excuse number 78.

'Sorry doctor can't stop, I have to clarify with logistics when they'll transport our next 48 hour meals.' Privately he had concerns befriending a man or more to it being befriended by someone who allegedly liked the colours of a colony that was glassed by the Covenant. Luther was at least four if the stories were true, and if they were then that's not normal behaviour for a kid. Even if he now had grown and acquired respected service and accomplishments.

He would give Luther this, he never took no in any form and his time had diminished his cynic tone and kept his upbeat mannerism in place. Working in a field where persistence was key, Luther was at times invaluable.

'You'll need to plan something else.' He said.

'Whatever do you mean?'

'Our main objective, if you're going to amend meals then at least add something celebratory'

Did he get an explanation No? Was he being roped into this? Yes.

It wasn't that far from the excavation zone so there was that at least in his head.

'Alright let's see what your babbling about'

He agreed to one more chase with the curiosity baited by the doctor, it wasn't taking up that much time and if it was good news, then good news just passes the time better. Walking out of the tent to see a tracked buggy waiting to take them down a gritty slope into a valley that for some reason was made on the surface of surprisingly hard lithium, which in turn prompted the unique branding of Lithium valley. but part of their research centred here and on this strange world past the myriad labyrinth of rocks and strange formations as if relics were smothered with millions of years of material and dirt. He jotted some of these areas for possible future excavations, Luther nodded at what fielding noted, sharing his same eye of talent. The transport stopped, grinded down to a halt with careful footsteps they walk upon on one of the recent excavations

At first Fielding saw nothing new, just mechanical diggers and precision chipping away of the ground and cliffs, then he saw a concentration of tyre tracks that led to the centre of a hill dug away by relentless and even aggressive quarrying. The hill was eaten half away and in the centre was something huge. Its architecture wasn't familiar not Covenant, not forerunner. it was entirely new and entirely alien.

'About seven hours ago the team discovered a partially amount of what you saw, but only just now we have gotten a complete picture and if ONI is correct then this might be what were after.'

'I'm having dejavu with that last line, we were hopeful with a newly formed asteroid group when arriving at this system. We were then hopeful with the only settlement on the only planet that wasn't spitting brim and dust. The first bore nothing and that settlement might as well had been a ghost town.'

'Yes but this proves without question that the structure from that settlement wasn't a one-off stone based civilization, and that we have a secondary find on another world and this one is immense, look at it, the planning for this architecture would had taken considerable effort and resources, it doesn't explain why one world has a settlement that betrays their advanced roots and here we have one that does.'

'Covenant and forerunner is your expertise, you think you can learn a few things from this?'

'Anything unlearned is Alien, once you know the ins and outs, it becomes a name, familiar like the Covenant'

'Yes' Sharp abrupt and hinting the doctor moved on from that subject, his interest is one thing but he rather not have him state the fascinating parts of a race that should be tried for genocide. 'The thing is while we and I am definitely happy we were able to pinpoint likely points of civilization I was expecting some forerunner material aside.'

'We can request for more time, this is a sign significance, no civilization has built one immense building with no supporting facilities, everything has a point'

'I agree; however, I don't think we would have time for it if we did though. I can hazard a guess the fallout of nuclear dust was not a combination of separate factors as we initially believed but entirely intentional.' He pointed to the figures greeting the main entrance but unlike the ruins of that desert world in this system, this one shown depictions of armed combatants postured awaiting the call to draw arms. 'This could be a place of rejection'

'Or regret'

'Please don't start that joke out here, it was old four years ago and it's still old now'

'Actually I was being serious, it is possible this act of burial was a rejection but if there's truth the result of nuclear dust clouds is to go by then we should consider it is something they did not want to pass onto others'

'Then we'll get some droids to scout the inside, but this pushes the schedule. I'll inform everyone they have one quick break and then were pooling in efforts to grab and pack, till we get to that point were going to be slow, everyone is going to say their careful and be careful as well, last thing any of us want is another forerunner with an axe to grind, however if it's got an axe for the Covenant then by all means show it the way!'

* * *

 **0640**

The screen flickering was the only light in her room, on her chair was a spread out uniform jack with lieutenant junior insignia rank attached. Her role was one of the Damage Control Assistants, it wasn't easy, paperwork, safety assessments, in her case a lot to do with hum maintenance, given the campaigns UNSC was often involved in made it a very demanding role, and how estates and other departments loved hearing her reminder that improvements were needed, things were missed and just about anything that wasn't good, unfortunately for Anijah it meant everything she said was never good because what good was there to be said from a ship that was tested by the vacuum of space daily. She had to lecture at people about this because frankly when things go wrong people look for the scapegoat and the only way she could look after herself was to be on the back of everyone's heels.

It made her resort to coffee, or the latest name branded one, sitting back and watching the paradox of a happier time and being reminded that happiness was no longer there, it was five years old but she watched the video because it was amongst the last of him, she was three when the family of Marcille were done with him, there was a tragedy as she looked at it, with a operation at a diner gone horribly wrong. Grandmother Marcille died just as news fileted into the inquiry but the drinking did the severing of ties for a long while. Anijah picked up the cup and wondered if she was slipping down that path herself. In her case it was the stress of expectations and fear of failure that pushed her because she saw what failure has done to her estranged relation and yet he came back stronger. She sipped and let the video play, out the scene of relative peace no bombs, just some misfortunate rookies in attention to the back while Sgt Johnson marched, and drilled out his exaggerated soldiering it brought her a chuckle.

'WHO ARE THE MARINES?'

'WE ARE!'

'AND WHO'S THE VERY BEST OF EM ALL?'

'ANIJAH IS SIR'

A wry look at the team before he looked to the camera, to her, the camera moved with him, with the marines no longer in the back, a conversation from him to her.

'I know your family don't talk much 'bout me but I'll never forget the girl who came to me and drew out a salute on that doorstep. You may be Navy but your still marine in my books as Marcille was, and is now your own little trooper, I want to congratulate you on that, give him a saint's name and he'll do just well. I served with the marines for a long time, men and women have come and gone but the family remains because were strong to each other. You be strong to your own. Keep that in mind. Now if you excuse me a rookie got ten laps to for saying Canada instead of Chicago!'

He gave a salute and the screen turned to black, a veil of was had now gone to past. She took a sip and considered watching it again for the fourth time, there was a quiet denial that she was rooted in a past loop but as long as she was quiet she would never come round to admitting it.

 _Beep-Beep-Beep_

The com snapped her to wake, the lights were activated and quickly fastened the uniform on her, the com was activated and saluted her superior, a lieutenant by the name of Richard his expression was quite serious when in comparison he was quite casual at times thiugh was known to let the casual tongue slip when being frank at times.

'The Commander is calling all officers to the bridge, we've got some developments coming fast, I'm sorry to call you in earlier but things are happening and we have that ONI officer about as well'

'Understood Sir' The comm switched off and she went to the door, she never dealt with ONI personally, that was for the higher grade like Richard to contend with and judging from his harsh British accent ONI didn't sound like the joyful bunch.

* * *

 **0653**

Commander Lincoln Stratson, a forty-year service amongst the best of those associated with the UNSC, now and then though there were the less then thought of ones in his time, such as the glare at the ONI officer, one by the name of Veronica Dare. He wondered if that was even her real name or just one of many alias they may go under, she tracked progress and was the shadow to every man and woman on-board, everyone knew she was on, the senior staff knew that the co-ordinates and stellar map was copied by espionage, more be it from her planning, and for the past few months trips to and back on this system in secret was down to her surveillance and intel. He knew the methods, some were downright intrusive and where his disgust took the issue but regardless she was here as part of the team as they looked at the copied map of the system they were sneaking around in, system the Galactic Federation gave the name of.

 _FS-176_

The claim to those that didn't need to know was they were here to locate any technological discovery that can give earth the upper hand against a turbulent time. The truth was this was an investigation into finding how the Galactic Federation came to be, for a long time it was theorized what they were using was based on forerunner, the news about a significant discovery just recently meant that theory needed revising, there seemed to be a complication to that accepted view.

'I know safeguarding is important but Luther has to work faster, we can't afford to lose this sensitive intel'

'I trust Luther on his judgment, if we rush and mess up then were going to struggle with resources to treat an incident on a world with nuclear debris from dawn to dusk for the last thousand and more years.' His eyes were on the rest of the staff. 'Finally. We can get started'

The rest being the remaining of his officials most notably Richard with the DCA officer accompany him, there was Taylor Miles, a former professional solider with worthwhile experience he turned his back on it and went private as a contractor invested in logistics and transport. Privately Lincoln was not overly fond of the idea of UNSC giving ground for agency and contractors in supporting divisions but with a great war supposedly over and at the same time drawn into a Covenant civil war and realising there were other threats left an economy that neared collapse, beneath the excitement of arms and valour there was a growing cost to the supplies burned for total victory. He even had to give a grim one to one discussion with the estates manager on-board that should the Ageis return to earth there will be a series of step downs before cuts came in. Officially it has not been stated but Lincoln knew the power game and while he and other senior officers were most likely safe it was those with the low pay grade and influence that will feel the noose around them. Not helped by leaks he had to on record to deny, by lying. That would haunt him he was sure of it.

Looking at taylor he felt he should be angry at the man for what he represented but in the end he reasoned that we all just go for jobs no matter what.

'In case some of you haven't been introduced to her, with me is Veronica Dare, a combatant and ONI operative, her position for the last few months was to seek out what we coded as 'game changer' and we found a game changer here in this system. Veronica?'

'Thank you, the charts we have been following have been "borrowed" from the Galactic Federations thanks to skilled espionage, at present we have maintained a near thirty-year state of cold war between ourselves and the largest insurgent group known. They don't have a justification to fight us and our plight against the Covenant even gained some sympathy from its populace, in turn we can't do a dam thing against them because they have something different, engines, weapons, structural design. We briefly had a skirmish 41 years ago when the colonies rebelled, the fleet sent to quell what should had been a small number, I say should because somehow we got decimated on that day. Now they had the time to expand and grow and until we know how their growing so fast were not fighting them.'

She flipped a holo chart to show the current alien world they were stationed above. The close up footage revealed an excavation of an immense tower of alien origin.

'Even though we are finding more forerunner technology, we still need to know what the GF is running on, make no mistake they do have some kind of advanced tech their leeching on and this system which is one of many of the GF's "claims" could be the evidence and insight we were after and we struck something big. We need to work on fast extraction, we managed to anticipate GF patrols through this area time and time again and have hidden appropriately, but our luck will not last.' She turned off the screen and looked at the group with an eye of suspicion. 'Going through the sensor readings I recently noted an anomaly in one at 2356 last night, that oddity was picked out, and was too interwoven with other signals to be an accident, it's being decoded but it's clear that a signal was sent.

'By who?'

'I can't be sure, but what I will disclose is that some time ago' Ignoring the specific of when 'There was an infiltration attempt on the UNSC infinity by insurgents, we need to be vigilante'

The weight of the news came as a shock, a numbing bolt but Veronica wasn't wrong there was indeed a lucky shot made at the most advanced warship UNSC had to offer, some time was a vague gap, but Veronica knew of course the year the attempt was made and even how close it all went to hell. Nobody needed to know that part.

Richard frowned, the idea of breach in security was not reassuring news.

'Is this related to the so-called leaks on the intranet? Our supply base back at Lian and here? We have been getting all sorts of crap, Voi factory workers laid off, debt sheets and-'

'Richard'

'Sorry Commander, but I get what intel is saying but if we are so hidden then how come were getting this hoax propaganda twice over? someone knows were here and it could be the GF's. Now it's being confirmed. Correction. _Suspected_. We should focus on a evac immediately and return with a greater number, were not enough to deter things by ourselves'

'We simply don't have the resources and the ships' Arguing with a reality check. 'And as much as I requested it in the past, any backup support is still engaged in quote to Post-Covenant operations with the ongoing Sangheili-Jiralhanae disturbances'

Only experienced eyes caught the quick pause and the warning eyes, of a Commander to his second in command, even with a trusted bond, the message was clear. Don't even try to imply it, nobody wanted the impression the UNSC was delving into matters of other races, even if there was some truth to it.

Lincoln carried on as if there was never a glare at Richard.

'-And all lower departments have been informed of a likely threat' Said Lincoln 'I have told them to follow contingency plans but there is to be no mention were on the lookout for rebels or a Spartan IV, we have codes to alert without causing escalation, our main priority is to grab and get out. We have a leak so let's focus on shutting shop then creating an assumption of a suspect.

'Commander Lincoln' Added the ONI officer 'Can I suggest Miles Taylor retrieves a copy of log entries of all and what has been transported to us from Lian, it could be if we do have a mole then we need to deduce their likely origin.'

'That's not a problem' Said Miles 'I'll be on wait for the research team to dock. We got some items that look a bit heavy to put onto our transporters, were looking about 7 trips, maybe three hours in total.'

'If what we collect is significant in two hours then we'll call it done and level place before leaving, let's not give GF any chance to scrape some valuables of their own.'

'Then it's settled, we get what we can and move out'

'And if we bump into a GF patrol?'

'It's not to be considered we leave before they contact, it's as simple as that'

The team nodded and debriefed, veronica lurked behind the Commander shrouding in the dark, and whispered closely.

'As you requested I kept out the details regarding Infinity'

'They just need to know that were resting on the blade's edge, and we all need to be vigilante. Last thing I want spread is claims of a rouge'

'If you must know I have spent last three years tracking that claim'

'Then do me a favour, track whoever sent that source out to space and whoever is messing our intranet with damm facts I wish were lies! Use your hunch, find and silence. Clear?'

'Clear'

* * *

 **0700**

It was the transfer between the night and the day, where the maintenance crew patted each other on the back, some even tossing the tools casually into the containers that they were not meant for. Amir sighed wearily at the pileup, a whole collection of mess, very courteous for Aegis night team. He felt a sharp pat on the back, it was the supervisor for the team, Gerald who told him to chin up, he was upbeat as usual, maybe he was deluded with work or simply enjoyed the demands of it. Amir half smiled, and half waved an acknowledgment clocking in and joining the other group looking forward to the day as much as he was. Joining his fellow team leaders as they were ready for the briefing to get started.

'Morning everyone'

the response was a half-hearted one. Gerald looked at everyone and his colonist accent spoke with more encouragement, repeating what was said, some sighed but it did the trick as everyone gave a more professional response.

'Good, now that your awake enough to say that, you can all be awake to follow this briefing. Yes?'

They replied agreeing, Gerald hadn't forgotten someone slept part of an earlier briefing, he can be a good man, and while the colony he came from was one dependent on supplies and had no animal life, he could be snappy as crocodiles were in Amir's home state. Away from earth for so many years but he could still keep fresh references in his head which were more entertaining to think about then looking at the same holographic presentation, it was almost the same kind of discussion every week almost. Sign of a smooth flowing team, and that he has been doing this job long enough briefings were becoming like a tired sermon. Better then hearing the growing mumbles of cuts.

'I do have one thing to note'

he raised an eye brow, the tone was different, now lax but had a mark of seriousness, this got Amir to take note to what Gerald had to say, initially he thought it could be a dramatic pause for a comical punchline but nothing of that sort happened.

'I want to see everyone wear their red codes today'

'Red codes?'

'Yes Red, that's how it is, we were trained for that remember?'

There was some shock as to why this was, with some unease, Amir would be lying if he hadn't felt the same. Last time he had to attach a red code was prior to homeworld defence from the Covenant. The strictest of security checks, and he understood that a procedure was important of course but in the middle of nowhere harbouring outside a research colony?

Ultimately someone had to ask that uncomfortable question.

'Are you saying we have Insurgents?'

Gerald shook his head and raised his hand to assure.

'It's a temporary measure, operations from the bridge passed on an alert to all key personnel to be vigilant, they haven't said what it was but to keep an eye on anything unusual, any problems with a red code from anyone, I want reported. Just remember "Checkup at Medbay" is our code for anything suspicious, I don't want panic via the channels. I'm told it may be nothing and I'm not entitled to what the problem is but were not going to spout T&B words, if any staff ask say it's a decontamination check.' There were groans, bubbling vocals of complaints and Gerald got serious in his tone.

'It's temporary ok, keep vigilant and keep the codes and hopefully whatever this concern is will pass but I repeat I have no message that this is a T&B and were not going to treat it like it is one, ok? And try to smile please? We do need that good feedback for our division, ok?'

'We'll remember that during evac'

The grumble won some sarcastic laughs and it was brushed aside by a hand gesture of the non-offended Gerald with everyone taking their cue to leave to their designated zones. Amir put on his soft cap, mumbling about scenarios a red code would bring, whinging to be frank, regulation, grumbling and more of the same whinging.

'You should walk a bit slower, you can make it a 11 hour shift instead of 12 by the time you get there'

Amir turned his head to see "Eris" the surprisingly tall woman, hair dark going past the shoulders walked along him, two oceanic coloured maintenance uniforms they were equal respectively but not the same. Eris was always hard at work, was apparently able to do her job without supervision as there were no complaints she had a reputation for being silent, even frowning with disapproval at her routine being interrupted. So it was to Amir's surprise she was starting a conversation with him. He had to lift his head to catch eye contact with her.

"Never thought you be one to suggest that, it is Eris right?'

'I am what the badge says I am.'

He was seeing now why she talked little, surprisingly her tone changed to a more formal one. 'Sorry, just wish people stop asking who I am. I have been on here for a while now'

'A good month, maybe a bit before that'

'Well somebody is noticing' There was a flash of a smile with that but like a flash it was gone afterwards.

'I need to ask, regarding code red pain we have to put up with'

'What about it?'

'There's a research team from the surface, bringing up significant stuff. To keep hush about, you can help make a clear way?'

'That wasn't brought up'

'Of course it wasn't, not with this code business. You know why Red was brought up and this was it. I don't want to bring rank ito this' She said with a veiled threat. 'But Gerald has passed on to a select few to help with security if they need quick repairs at the end point. But he was thinking of something else'

'Else? What you saying?'

'It's nothing too outside protocol, once this is done we'll be heading back to earth, or the nearest to. You're a Union member yes?'

'What? You think they'll drop us without pay at the nearest dock? That is paranoia! We have rights that cover us regardless where we go'

'Except in times of emergency. How many extra hours did you put in when the war was really bad? Sixty? Seventy? I know people who put in Eighty hours. EIGHTY! That's a lot of overtime money to pay out and still owed, but they made us break our contract for them. Were still in a state of emergency and at some point they will re-regulate our hours and pay. We're going to be rolled over with debt and while we make stops at various supply routes the only place they'll drop us is the only place where government is capital.'

'Earth…'

There's been legislations to ensure our "patriotic" economy stays as it is, with one hand dipped into Covenant civil war, stirring up forerunners and we somehow manage to conjure up a third hand and are now dipping into the GF's? It's crazy, but you know their now using threats and straying into those dangers to argue we need to change things at home. I heard the "legendary" master Chief got a medal for destroying something, where's your recognition for building something? Where's the recognition of the men of voi? Civs who took arms forever in their debt now on the dole'

'I don't pay attention to that crap, it's just…gross simplification of the facts'

'Like the wage and cost sheets were, did you see which bands were under red?'

'I know!' There was a shot of anger in his words he saw it he had to admit and dam his curiosity but everyone was talking about it was an infection of pessimism that couldn't be ignored. 'Look, don't bring that up on me, this job matters to me'

'Hey I'm sorry, no offence meant' Passively apologising, there seem to be a hint she underestimated his character but the topic didn't change. 'But what I'm saying is true, I know there's been a lot of jobs under "review" "restructuring" Skirting round the F word, when we get back home they'll be changes. I know you know this, and so does Gerald. We're looking out for you here'

Really?'

'Yeah, more him then me, but we have a understanding of what's going to happen, and so do you'

'I do..yeah, I just don't want to think about it'

'I know but unfortunately there's more debt than the stars in our galaxy. We have to have it in our mind to so we can invest in ourselves. Gerald wants you in'

'But not you?'

'Given what's at stake I needed to hear and see if you are the man Gerald said you were. Say no I do not care, my priority is to invest in myself but there's a better chance of that if more were invested into making it happen.'

'...This "investment" ...What we're talking about?'

'Revolutionary, with the right buyer we can go our own ways and do our own things, an honourable 25% each'

'It's not forerunner is it?'

'No, this is revolutionary as in it's something other than forerunner. We switch some stuff and be the first to sell'

'Switch? You're talking theft'

'If the UNSC isn't fighting it's grave robbing other technology, they can't patent the past and they shouldn't be trying to screw us over. Think what's really right here Amir. We can take a cut if it's still enough, no arms dealer, you call your buyer.'

'I can?'

'If it means getting you on board then yes. You have certain clearance and authorization people won't batter an eye lid to, it's a swap of data, get the reward, spend sensibly, retire and nobody will batter an eye lid.'

'You know anything about these buyers'

'I can disclose one, I've been working for him for some time, he's a big employer, you'll like him. Now are you in?'

'…I'm in'

* * *

AN: There's quite a bit of world building as I work on immersing characters and the overall picture, canon and own into this, before I get to the usual main, quite a bit of this is taken from lore from respective sources and had to delve quite deeply to find some choices. I'm a slow builder and want to work on establishing the setting and mood before having the Chief or other Spartans. The chapter does leave some hints on what's to come next as well as the implied time setting for either side. Personally I'm quite happy with this.

I have no idea what UNSC economy would be like post Covenant war, but if it were down to me I'd say they be close to making drastic cuts and changes to adapt to an era of high debt.

I also want to state I have never read halo novels or comics, the only way I can read any of them is to find one by ebay and make an overseas purchase. Nor have I worked in the military or am fluent in Halo's military structure, a lot of this is research and guesswork. I could spend more time on it but at this point I have more time spent on drawing webcomics, hopefully I have shown that I have taken time to look at bother series, see which lore I can take as well as who I can put into the fray.


	3. Last hours of the Aegis II

**Last hours of the Aegis II**

* * *

The transmission was decrypted and what he read pleased him, alien writing translated to his own gave him an idea of just how little they have changed, yet somehow they have done him a great favour.

The details that were decoded on screen with the font coloured in red. A personal choice from a self-declared military commander who scrutinized the way others lived under his command, he would see everyone who followed did so with his ideology in place. The fixation of red was a small but subtle, he wanted his men accustomed to seeing blood, its colour to the point of fixation. He had fused all those who are the first to die infused with cybernetics, encouraging them from afar to fight on and be lost in the valhalla of violence.

Those that charged would so so with no hesitation, with no choice save the one given to them.

His choice at the expense of their lives.

He established the fanaticism, the culture and direction of their fates. Their god, one of great cunning and of death. He stood on top of the stairs in darkness surrounding, his only light was the red wording from the screen and the equally red illustration of the so-called Aegis. He was not entirely by himself. He was more than several times taller than any of his underlings, his frame was broad and developed with muscles across his tyrant skin. A cold and cunning creature, he was death to all those that were weak, useless or just cowards.

Someone had questioned him not too long ago and he brought that one up with him to where he stood. The lesser pirate made the comment 'maybe' and 'shouldn't' so he brought him with him, by the tip of his tail. pierced into that coward's head for all who assembled in the bleak halls within his warship to be given their fates as decreed by their god. The example of the corpse hung for display was an action where dialogue was needed with a message clear.

There is to be no shouldn't or maybe. Only strength and nothing else.

The Commander turned round after examining the intel given, and stared at his underlings, the lesser pirates who were nothing without him. On cue the tail forked open destroying the creature's head and identity leaving just a headless bag of flesh tumbling down the long steps. The Commander had no need for steps, he had wings but he always did enjoy the theatrical which was why he had the steps in place so all can see why he is their Commander, and god.

His eyes stared at the masses, was there any challengers? Good. Their silence was the submission he wanted as he now chose to walk down the steps, all eyes were on him, he would never walk up to something he had no intention to give the idea there was something higher then him, but if given the chance he will take a walk down the stairs.

In this case the steps were made to support his large footing while taking the view of the eyes that revered, respected and knew better than to anger him but never would he be on the same footing as them. There are no equals. The countless dead of the past should had clarified that to them that no can ever oppose him, his tail draped across the stairway, the metal end clattering on the long steps. Privately the Commander would confess that while no one can ever kill him, there was a time where it was... close. From the metal tipped that now forked out when desired, to the "armour" covering his chest he was not entirely invulnerable. His scars were given, now covered or behind metal. What was given he will pay back unkindly.

'Commander' Begged a lesser pirate, like so many he was evolved, if not by cybernetics then by genes, twisting their once more natural humonaid figure into a evolution more fitting for his wars and campaign. Claws with weapons inside, close range fanatics that when not firing afar would come up close grasp and tear the victim apart with burning plasma.

They were variants some with swords grown on them, the better models became elites and worth keeping, the experience of the strong was needed. Many of the races here had merged over generations, genes spliced, tampered and even regrow, even the quantity needed to have some quality about it.

The Commander simply snarled at the lesser, a cue to explain why it chose to spoke first and not second. The lesser bowed and added further. 'Let us raid the target when they go to their supply base, we can track their flight' Carefully choosing any word that saying anything other than shouldn't or maybe.

The stare was enough to shut the lesser up, while choosing to forget that he actually considered what was said, but these type of humans were not like the Galactic Federation, they had a reputation of destroying relics once found. Then he let his tail react like a whip, the metal tip of it forked open again and just stopped before the lesser's face, who flinched briefly but didn't step back. The tail withdrew and the amused face of the Commander became serious once more.

'It's too important to leave this in the hands of those creatures. They send their ship into the system that was ours, and past the ruins of our once great world, they will pay for that...'

He opened his hand a mimicry of a world was hologrammed on his hand, the alien writing was yet to be translated and still had "Oormine II" written. It was the viewing of the world, not the word that the pirates had recognized.

'Yet they have done the impossible' Said the Commander with begrudging respect, but it was to only underline how significant this was discovery was. 'A world full of nuclear dust storms and tremors that can even shake the planet itself...and those stumbling creatures had managed to search and find something.' He knew what that something was of course, the others simply didn't need to, the intel he kept for himself gave the planned ambush the advantage. The creatures, humans were docked, still unearthing, learning blindly, when he knew what it was they stumbled upon! The agent did his work well, now it was left to see if the other can do hers because the opportunity was at it's finest, now was the time to make the move.

He expressed a long smile, but it was a smile with a pretence of sincerity with a sneering delivery in his words. 'I will thank them for that as well'

* * *

AN: I had some problems with this chapter, firstly I had to do a re-write with the original script becoming corrupted. Second I've been halted by life and work so there was a lot of rewriting as I try to get back on track with this, then I had issues with pacing. Anyway the update is here, expect a very big chapter next.


	4. Last hours of the Aegis III

**The last hours of the Aegis III**

* * *

 **0830**

'CLEAR!'

Veronica Dare watched the security personnel secure the small accommodation after extracting the door from it's surrounding frame, while the doors could slide to and back and be electronically locked, they were also designed to be removeable from the outside so as to try and prevent a blockade within the quarters. The room they were in was some unassuming worker under the name of "Eris" Data encrypted was traced finally and co-ordinated the log entries Miles Taylor was able to retrieve quickly. A hard working professional, and probably like her was absent of a social life, ruled by seven days a week work. Today was as serious as it could get for her work, life was at risk for those onboard. Some would had their egos stoked by the idea they were going to be heroes. The ones like her who actually deal with silent threats like these just hope quietly that they got to it as soon as. Anyone who thought they get glory to stopping the incident as it happened never had their asses hauled before an investigation explaining why the hell it wasn't stopped there and then.

The supply base back at Lian, was a small planet in a system of the same name of convenience, breathable and rich in minerals, a temporary rest point where resupplies and new personnel would come on board. The latest logs spanned back few months at latest and she scrolled down to the arrival of key personnel and when the ship's intranet system was hacked by propaganda. The stories of home were a bit too focused and was something insurgency would come up with.

To her disappointment though there was no official or person within the logs and the time of the first hack to make a connection. However looking at the backgrounds of people who could buy personal accommodation as opposed to share, this "Eirs" was able to afford it, quite well. There was the payment, but the deposit followed by the successive payments were a bit too close to one another. Payment came two weeks after but she paid upfront more than she should really be able to. An odd pattern wasn't evidence enough to anyone else but for ONI only the suspicion was required, and veronica felt she had good reasons.

It wasn't luxury this Eris was after, but space, eyes surveyed the large flat bed, inbuilt monitor to the wall and the waist high drawers with more to it's length then height. Everything in here should be fixed to the ground, despite the cleanliness her trained eyes picked up the oddity. The mirrored prague draws had a shine to them on the front. Very slight, the shine didn't look off from the white and a pull of a draw did reveal everyday clothing but on closer inspection and touching the surface she felt that slight coolness that didn't match the room temperature of the other objects.

'Break it!'

A personnel slammed the butt of the rifle and hit light, there was no tearing of wood or hearing of splinter, the exterior of the wardrobe flashed twice with a choking crackle of fading energy. Now her suspicion was confirmed, the draws were just a skeleton framework, corners stood, the draws themselves were real but the bulk of the woodwork were long taken out and under that disguised light of a hologram was a large computer monitor of some kind. It certainly wasn't a bomb, the sensors were designed to pick up any sort of chemicals that could potentially be used. She knelt to examine was some kind of hacking system. She flicked the thing on without thinking of the risk and there the monitor screen on the wall came to life showing symbols entirely alien scrambled all across the screen. Was it a locked screen? Transferring data? She had no idea but it was clear she was not as the name claimed. At the same time, this was not her doing alone. Resources and infiltration inside a operational ship amidst its operation required a lot more than a pot shot chance at a shipyard..

Veronica raced secure comm.

'I need to speak to Lincoln. Now!' She heard Lincoln take communication, her tone was to the point.'

'Were being watched by an E.T and we have a mole. K.N'

She gave the name and rank of this 'Eris' whilst arming her weapon, K.N was the quicker way of saying Kill Now and for the sake of everyone onboard they had to do just that. She scrolled through any other documents, the team tearing apart the room, she looked again at Eris I.D hair colour and eyes were different, but was it possible that..there was no doubt, the rouge she had spent several years tracking had at last returned to her old post , but she had no means of pulling this again by herself, even if time was her ally, to be here in distant dead of space…

Veronica looked at that knife edged style font of alien text and privately worried, Eris was not an insurgent but a full fledged traitor to the human race, but just who, did she sell herself to?

* * *

 **0824**

'Just this way' Said Amir

Despite the humid environment, nerves made his feet go cold, he was having second thoughts about this "investment" plan, the goal was apparently to swap the ore within the relic with the same ore from the world they orbited but with none of the prosperities that was of value, and smuggle it to a competitor with everything up and running in advance. The trek was to the other side of the ship almost, security patrolled, some saw his face and smiled as they let him carry on, letting friendship being their judgment, some though sought explanations. He gave some and it was when he stated his first lie did he know there was no turning back, for now it was accepted. He hoped.

Eris though remained calm, a calmness he found unnerving, she didn't fret when the patrol came and went and remained mutely subtle in her overall reaction, watching and observing the situation. Had she been a smuggler before?

'I don't think-'

'You did fine, now's the time to be focused got it?' She was quick to take command over him and he complied, he was becoming increasingly weary, from the ship's long corridor of metal and nothing till they reached the door, his first challenge.

'Your card overrides this, yes?'

'But my details of entry will be traced!' She looked at him as if he was a portrait of short sighted stupidity.

'Then lie again.' With insistence 'You have a list of all the equipment on board? State it's registry number and say a check, is due'

Amir swallowed and pressed a a holo sensor activating a screen to the Captain, his eyes widened the Captain was personally overseeing this area?'

'Hello, Sir...with your permission I need to run schedule checks on erm' He hadn't selected the page on his log, quickly scrolling he found one after a mad dash with his thumb on a search, an exasperated sigh from Eris came from his left ear which meant she wasn't visible to the Captain on the screen. 'On EL42981'

The Captain took a check himself on his own panel.

'A Laseral examiner?' It's down as a medical tool, this is not in the correct division.

'Which is why I'm down here to find out, Gerald briefed me it was inside this zone, there was an IR accident a few days ago and the tool brought down must have been left here and not tracked back up. With your permission I want to give the area a sweep given it's value on a medical and financial-'

'I'm familiar with all Incident Reports' Shutting Amir on the spot 'There hasn't been one of late that warranted an examiner.'

'I agree, but it is part of a legally required setup to be brought down in any medical situation. It was removed without it being tracked and simply lost, I'm just chasing up on human error, Sir.'

'Very well, you'll need to be escorted, were receiving items shortly, so be quick. Stay there for now'

'Thank you' The screen was switched off before he could finish the sentence and started to panic.

'Were to be escorted! How will we get around that?'

'Not to worry, I'll have it sorted'

'But'

'Hey!' Again with the lack of respect at him, but there was a show of intimidation squaring him closer with a step. 'It. will. Be. sorted'

'...'

'...S-ure' He stuttered reflecting his nerves but in his mind he knew he was too deep into this.

* * *

True to the Captain's word, security did arrive, Amir quickly glanced at his classic watch, made in the fashion with a ticking hand crossing numbers and not the digital version, the time did not reassure him, it had been six minutes now and time had was the slowest he had ever known at that point but still kept a welcoming smile. The two guards, a man and woman marched over but their faces shown no seriousness or idea of what they were upto, despite their sidearm pouches unbuttoned, but there was no hostility. For now they weren't being suspected. It wasn't like they were expecting traitors after a great war against aliens.

Amir remembered the subtle behaviour from Eris earlier, apart from her quietness during the journey she kept that extra distance from patrol, he could put it down to unease she wouldn't admit but there was something else as he thought more about it, it was so much as avoiding it was more trying to subdue a hatred. The cold stern look from her eyes had contained something worse within, the frown gave a small reveal that there was some depth in her that was yet to emerge.

'It's just a routine check and collect, hopefully it's here as we checked everywhere else'

'Not a problem for us' Said the female officer. We'll just open it for you, don't stray from us ok?'

'That's not a problem' Another lie but how strange and also troubling that he was beginning to feel unbothered about it. The sooner this can be done with he muttered with hope.

The female officer opened the door and notified the captain it was done, no sooner that was done her male colleague caught onto Eris distance from the three and approached with some caution.

'You seem a bit quiet' By the third step he walked close enough for there to be a flashing glow from a metal com on his hand, it notified him, the face bore shock, followed by his female colleague whereas Eris actually expected it which was how she responded so fast, a pace of ruthless aggression disciplined and channelled into two brutal strikes. The first was a punch it made contact so fast that Amir couldn't tell if it was directly into the man's jugular but he just sank hearing the weight of a body hit the floor. The woman could only breathe out a sound of a word, she never had the time to complete her sentence as "Eris" ran and slammed the officer's head to the wall, there was a muffled cry of horror as the pressure eris was inflicting was immense at the time snatching the gun from her. Amir stumbled back wondering what the hell had he done.

Then he heard Eris spoke, with no pretence there was an accent of spite.

'Your face...it reminds me of a spartan' The eyes did not blink and her hands tightened holding the undeserving to her sentence '...you deserve this!' "Eris" snarled and slammed the poor woman's head back onto metal wall with a splitting crack of murder.

Amir turned away, he saw a horror and threw up, he had seen blood oozing from the casualty, a lifeless corpse...it was only for a split second but he saw a lifetime of horror in it. He didn't think this would happen, now them too were dead, and for what?

'NO!' He screamed 'How could, oh please how could you do that!'

"Eris" never answered instead she marched upto him, the barrel of a sidearm pressing at the centre of his face.

'This is happening' The gun pressed deeper on the ridge of his nose, pressing bone could feel cold metal pressing on it. He stayed quiet, he dare not struggle.

'Fortunately for rats like you, you might live for today but you will be my shield. I will have my hand on your throat, struggle and you're going to scream as I crack your neck. Clear?'

'Yes' He could barely force that word through after seeing all this and he could see the bodies once more in the back, he couldn't ignore it it took his captor dragging him in front of her, he had just been an unwitting Trojan while realising just how much horror this would usher in and the worse part? That he may survive this, knowing it was he that brought this all onboard were ghosts in waiting to haunt him for the rest of his sorry future.

* * *

 **0835**

'Report! Report! Shit' Swore Lincoln, it was bad hearing the reveal from Veronica but the silence from the two he sent to check on the guards just escalated everything to hell. It was no coincidence that something happened just as they were docking the first relics, he expected the worst that the infiltrator was what veronica suspected, a renegade, a psychopath.

A spartan.

'Richard! You tell the docking personnel 07 to shut themselves in their craft now!'

Lincoln jabbed his finger on another button.

'All security officers within research docking zone 07, you are to go and carry out your K.N protocol. The target is the same, engage weapons hot!'

Lincoln cursed again, just as another man went to his post, he had no time to snap at the man for switch in routine, have a badge, do your job and that was enough to matter about.

''You' Meaning Anijah 'I want an immediate sweep on all emergency doors and hull integrity on the two floors around 07, anything off you have call to evacuate that zone, understood?

'Sir!' She marched off operating a comm on her hand leaving the bridge passing on her work to the the people that relate to the task. Then Richard mentioned more unwanted news.

'I lost contact with another group in 07 and the ones tagged with the coats' The quicker slang for the science team 'are saying they need time to get crew onboard, they got one artifact unloaded.'

'Timing isn't chance the renegade definitely has been co-ordinated in this'

'Sir there' came from one of the navigation leads'

'I'm picking up...a distortion near the asteroid cluster'

'Slipstream?'

'No, it's different, but it's not any GF either...growth is 2km, it's getting bigger!'

'What?',

'Some kind of pressure, almost as if space is folding out, fold is growing 4km, 7...12km...something's happening!'

Lincoln saw and was the first to swore.

'Oh God'

* * *

"Eris" was a suitable name not that she came up with it, but her employer always sought amusement albeit mocking and one that passed straight people's faces, for a culture obsessed with Spartans and perfection of strength akin to the ancient greeks themselves they overlooked the meaning of her name, but maybe that was the point her employer was making that humanity was so stupid and accepting of the bleeding obvious that they never stopped to think. They can't see the enemy within so how can they see what they can bring, but he knew of course…

Eris switched her mind to the cowardly shield called Amir, in front with the gun in hand, she just dispatched another group, no gunshots but now the others were sure to know, her gun was aimed and she'll give all with guns the same. The coats and those who submitted were to play a bigger role. Not that she was for the ride, she had spent four years and a time drifting in space to be indebted and hating. To be indebted to the one she failed a deal to begin with and to be hating at the little pretender spartan bitch who kicked her to space. She had to restrain her anger quick, she had nearly crushed the ignorant man's neck in the process, he too was useful. The workers were needed for bigger projects.

Going through the doors her head knew the layout even before eyes set, there was a crew, and a boarded ship, all she saw were the hands with guns and shot at their heads. One hand waved a sorry life, the other directed her kill with every trigger at her precise point. The eyes didn't blink, the fixation, mesmerise at how they all laid dying to her anger, her war! Her pupils widened at the sight of the red slaughter, picking off the challengers so she can remain the strongest and in charge. She always had a taste, but four years with him had made her realise her ways before were deemed pitiful, every kill she made, manner of slaughter was a test to show she could do what he expected to be as cruel and deserving to be alive longer. It had grown from survival to competition, no different to the spartan program itself.

Gunfire was returned and she was quick to move tossing aside dead weight and took cover behind over research equipment, a pile of bulky uninteresting sets, and had no desire to stay given there were still parts of exposure but she moved fast, eyeing the relic they brought in, racing out with the surroundings shot up, but she wouldn't be bullied by the loud firepower and coldly directed several more shots to her desired effect. She surveyed the surrounding, silence, save a poor man's whimpering.

It was all too easy for a true spartan.

She approached with a little caution regardless and despite that the other researchers who found themselves at the mercy of her own jurisdiction. she recognized the uniforms of pilots on the ship, though a count in her head amidst the panicked researchers and dead soldiers said there was someone missing, from the distance there seem to be a ventilation gap look slightly out of place, someone had fled. Shame.

She looked at the relic and it wasn't going anywhere and if it weren't then she still had what she came for. There was a gamble, a risk to this before her was a mysterious tomb like object, it had symbols of a avian like people, she couldn't care less but it did feel eerily supernatural to her despite it being scientific in nature. For all she knew this could had been the tomb of a pharaoh, her mind did think of the uncanny resemblance of the avian bird like faces...perhaps her employer was indeed onto something. Not that even she would dare question him fully on that subject. Four years under him made her even more of a survivor then even the most hardened soldier had faced. Soldiers like the Master Chief may have walked into battle, but she had walked with a devil that styled itself as a god...and maybe it was, she couldn't be sure when four years had been spent listening to it's orders and it's ideals..

Her hand touched the stone surface, only it wasn't quite stone by touch, neither earthly or metal she couldn't begin to describe it, at best it felt what she touched was a solid glow of illuminated light. That's all she felt was light that had no warmth nor cold, even the forerunners had a physical structure, this appered transparent.

Examining the symbols quickly she saw that each creature and each posture it was shown revealed the weapon it carried, she saw something else, a different race, always a step below before the "teacher" all in suits similar to the other that went to the stars they directed at. Conquerors, saviours? It was too vague for her to gauge an understanding. An intended trait of any cult of power.

There was another symbol the one that was said to her was likely there. The symbol of the weapon that was within. With a surprising reluctance she was hesitant to raise her hand to it. Her employer had changed over the four years he had seen the possibilities of the spartan program, he had seen a human with unleashed potential so he claimed. He never revealed much into it but it was what kept her around for the four years, her life spared because he saw something more and so far passed each of his curiosities.

The hand waved over the main image and the object was beginning to open. She pulled back quickly, she was in doubt now that it worked, because that meant she knew what was inside, and that it was deserving of those who be called on to deal with her. The device was off the small forklift it was transported on that was of no matter her strength had no problem taking it to the on the forked holder and switched the truck to gear. There was one way in and she was quickly made her way to driving it to the doors she came from. She could hear running sounds, she stopped the truck just outside the doors again placing her hand on the symbol. It was reacting to the DNA and beg and to open properly, it wouldn't hurt her but that was an assurance she did not want to test as the device opened itself. Light folded folded out to a blaze of gold to where something was creeping out, not choosing to wait she retreated back to seal the doors in front, breaking the lock to ensure.

Then came a "tilt" she tensed, everything was sloping on a creeping angle but the change wasn't what made her tense, it was knowing who pulled the gravitational tide that made her somewhat uneased, ignoring even the frantic calls outside as the troops fired and became silent to what was awoken. Alone save the cowards of non combatants her mind drifted, ignoring some of the heavier objects toppling, everything was about to roll aside to the foreboding destiny a deathly god would bring. It was all coming into play, his play, out of spite, out of seeing now what we all could do. How strange a defeat would change his mindset, that was the rumour. And if it was so then she will stay shut about it and be quietly thankful. She suspected that if he had no ulterior motive then she would be dead for failing to capture the Infinity, the failure made him feel he lost faith and was not the forgiving kind. She lived because her future was also his, an understanding and possibilities that he saw and kept to himself. All she knew was aside from the gradual modifications to her existing augmentations was she had a role and a future.

They were killers but he...he was more, he could transcend a level of morality she would not cross. Knowing her own limitations but not knowing his troubled her that even regret contemplated in her despite their mutual understanding.

But given her circumstances to begin with what choice was there, why regret? Her hands were red with the past, no future can wash that, to assume otherwise would be regret. She. Ilsa Zane, was a spartan, was made, augmented to kill and destined to become more.

* * *

There was a jolt of a gravitational tug with the ship seemingly felt pulled towards the emergence of this newfound titanic adversary. All feet moved to stations, all hands out for the other as crewmen in the hour supported the other, from the crew that assisted each other at the mess hall and hauling the lazy ones to action, or pulling the other out of hazards that had now fallen on the other, there was shouts, anger but the broad steel of resolve was untempered among them. The angle of the tilt grew ever more dangerous with fighter bays trying their upmost to make sure armantas did not do the unthinkable and turn the ship into a self imploding nightmare. all hands buckled, all armory personnel went into panic making sure nothing went off prematurely, the large ones could be disarmed by remote but others, despite being less powerful were not given the same safeguarding. And this was just one of the many incoming alarms communications had sounded and command had to filter and prioritise.

'Were being knocked off course, we're going to capsize at this rate!' Warned navigation, they were doing their job but lincoln rather they didn't mention it all the same. Rattled he snapped at Richard who in turn will snap even more at the main engineering core.

'I want those engines on the weakest point at full!'

Richard snapped the orders to them, acting as the bite of his orders, there were concern of the engines burning out, radiation exposure though not lethal immediate run the risk of the time given to ruin the long health of those but as Richard put it, to hell with it, survival at all costs, those near the engines knew this or Richard put it.

'Is that thing pulling in the CM's?' Cloaked Covenant mines, a captured ones for the UNSC use and an exclusive privilege for the Aegis in this matter. 'How many' He demanded.

'Seventeen' Said the lead of radar. 'Well within blast range on the hostiles north upper!'

Lincoln stared at the hardened windows he could see what he was before them, the ship had no structure it was irregular in appearance, patched over fitting on whatever felt it was needed it was unapologetic over it's lack of aesthetic appearance. One thing was clear it was clearly not Convenient or galactic federation as klaxons flared the red lights around. Still they felt the ship being pulled into this monster. He could tell there was no evident gunports on it but the answer to why was probably down to the gravitational pull. The mines may just do enough.

He stabbed at a console button. 'Operations, all CM's Nova! ASAP!'

He turned to see richard exchange words with the communications lead.

'Then try harder to get that signal to Lian!'

'Signal as powered as it can but the gravity well is slowing it.'

'Didn't you tell engineering to go all out?' Intervened Lincoln with a question, Richard stared and returned to Engineering.

'Why aren't they at full?'

'They are at full!' Came the voice back, the engines are burning up!'

Lincoln stepped in, his tone was grave given what he was about to command next.

'This is Lincoln Gold command, I am ordering all means necessary to get us moving. Unrestrict all filters immediately'

Nothing.

Then the response.

'Understood'

And that was it, Lincoln knew what he just warranted on them, he knew right the conditions would affect many of their future careers, but letting the engines burn and radiation seep in, even in this age science can only treat so much, medical science always lingered behind military science. Better on his conscious than any of his own crew. He felt the ship wrestle down the tilt as the angle descended, they were not out of danger by far but now communications were reporting with some good news the message was sent, lian was warned.

'Operations, calling in' Said the voice via Lincoln's personal comm. 'Nova in three, two, one…

Everyone held their breath, Lincoln looked at the view from the windows, the lingering wait for a trigger meant one thing.

It failed.

'What's happening? Answer!?'

Operations was usually a confident division on the personnel and the officer he addressed was at a lost in trying to find an answer.

'The signal, it's been sent but the CM's aren't recognizing it.'

Hacked? Lincoln face paled at the thought, a disturbing realisation the conspiracy was longer and deeper than imagined, was that what the discovery in the deck was? A hacking mechanism? The same thing that sent the encrypted information from under their noses? From Lian to here?

He found himself arguing with weapons, telling them to get a shot on the target but the strain of the seemingless gravitational well was messing up with the targeting and ballistics may have a problem just reaching before being flung off course. Then he felt the ship gradually stabilize the balance of the floor.

'...I want a signal sent that ship, every language under the covenant, if they won't know ours they surely must know theirs' he took a breath and spoke when the nod was given.

'This is the Aegis, warship of the UNSC, disengage or face declaration of war from my government'

Hopefully it was to buy time as he looked round his team, he looked at communications again.

'Send a second signal to base, tell them Echo A-Rank. Echo A-Rank'

Coding in messages was essential from the days of the enigma, anyone can listen in the right way and codes were to hide the message. Echo A-rank was to tell the base to call upon the most powerful ship as support, that being the _Infinite_.

As he feared the large monstrous vessel was not slowing down, even though the engines were pulling themselves further away from it faster than the pace it chased them, it had still remained fixed on them.

'Inform engineering to jump as soon as the ship can, regardless of safety'

'Something's happening there are objects coming from the ship, several meters long, I'm picking up forty and counting'

A holographic display on the table, still wobbly as it tried to read what the sensor gave, the depicted needle like ships, small and edged with a piercing nose. They look more intended to stab the hull of the ship then detonate.

'Where are the fighters?'

'Fighters are struggling to pull out of the bays, we need to get further out of the gravitational pull.'

'Can we fire back?'

'Missiles don't have enough power to reach the target, rail guns can but at 10m shorter for effective range...we have minutes till we get the assault'

'All security battle stations I repeat, we have boarding parties inbound!'

'Sir' Richard brought up some news.

'There's fierce gun fighting from docking zone 07, one squad is down, their requesting more assistance'

'Negative, what's happening'

'Their trying to figure that out but there is widespread shooting on deck 07...and 8'

'What?'

'It's spreading sir'

'What did that bitch bring onboard? Seal it all off! Quarantine. I need to make sure those invaders are dealt with. Were getting out of this and won't be slowed down.'

'Sir what about the research team?'

There was a short silence then he was spoke with the guilt in his tone. He was going to tell them to fire, eradicate it in one go, only one other person knew he would say it which was why he was why that person shot him. His mind raced to react against the situation, but whatever the discharge was it had hit him squarely on his back, it felt almost ice cold and was enough to cripple him to the ground. Panic came about as someone next to a panel now wearing a mask was shooting everyone left, right and centre all kills. Not all fair, those who drew out the weapons and gained cover shown their determination ballistics were set off and were hitting a repeated sound of energy, almost if the bullets and rounds were being deflected. Experience told him it was shielding judging from the sound, but at the same time the traitor wasn't working for the covenant, despite the ferocity, he heard firepower from his own and more of his fellow falling to the floor with the assailant picking the limb of one before capping the head with ice. The traitor wasn't just killing but enjoying being the scumbag that he was. He only he could move, then he saw Richard on the floor weapon pointing it was clicking, he was out but still kept clicking the trigger, the traitor walked forward and raised his weapon, Lincoln looked away, hearing the sound of that weapon was enough to conclude what happened.

* * *

There's been no chain in Command, the words shit shit shit rang in Veronica's head over and over, 07 and now 08 were sealed off, she wasn't even sure what the hell she was to do as well, even flanked by security she felt unease and knew from the screams from the bridge via comm that the spartan rouge wasn't the only danger. She looked out of the passing windows and could see the swarm of greyish needle like ships making a beeline towards them. Rail guns fired but their momentum seems slower as the ship battled to get past the gravitational pull that was slowing the effective velocity of the weapons, to describe it simply it was as if the ship was a person walking under deep water and was now trying to get out before the sharks caught up.

Her weapon was in her hands and wondered what options there were for her, some of the smaller ships docked did have slipstream, including the newer Pelican models, could it be guaranteed that the one reserved for ONI and related personnel be there still, she quietly hoped so, but she also hoped she wasn't too late with this crap to begin with.

'Come on keep up! They had ran through a new section, seventeen perhaps, she was getting anxious, her bearing had to be focused, amidst the running she heard, gunfire? Then she saw it, security personnel stepping back concentrating fire, so many sounds of automated fire she couldn't hear what thing it was they were shooting at. One of them saw her, his eyes were part of a face that saw an inevitable death.

'Get off this section, it's gone! Gone!'

'Move it all, hurry!' She noticed that all the hard glass windows were still exposed with no shutters, there was one or two but the rest were still uniformly exposed, with command cut off everything was in chaos and with this thing. They moved fast, shutting one door behind them and approaching other, there was a worry that this section could too become quarantined, she didn't like to think the flood was unleashed but whatever it was it was spreading fast. She had to get out before she was trapped in. Then came that sickening feel, only because her ears caught the sound before the heavier crashing noise that followed. It was a force that shook them off their feet, the doorway behind them was torn open and she could see up close one of many of those pincered boarding pods. And true to it's purpose the door of the incoming invader opened while the door at the back of Veronica was yet to open leaving them in a corridor with no hiding place, a one way line exposing each side to point blank kills. Something came out, her team fired, so did they.

The command bridge was shot up, Lincoln's world was of blur and grief, he could only manage a half crawl, he felt in pain, he could take such humiliation of being beaten, he been in many personal fights, as well as campaigns, he learnt how to get up and move on, but this was different, he knew this would be a conflict he was not going to walk from. For a moment he briefly thought about that happiness of knowing he was to be a grandfather, it was a rare personal moment one that told him his life was without meaning even as he faced this. Whatever came he will at least take that with him.

'Well well' Said the traitor, the voice was electronic no doubt hidden by the mask and some kind of exo design, he caught little of it, possibly customized for this situation. He knew that behind the mask was a smirking sadist who promptly kicked Lincoln over facing him. The captain accepted the ship' was lost but he will keep spirit of her defiance with his dying breath.

'You bastard. You have no idea who you just declared war on!'

'Actually "Sir" my employer know who he's dealing with. He knows the weak' The gun clocked and the nozzle shown the icy blue energy . 'Which is why, he has come for you...nothing personal'

The last shot was fired as a man who carried out injustice left without care, a hum of a melody that was only relevant to himself.

* * *

AN: Only thing I will mention at this stage is I've taken liberty with the pirate ship, there aren't many designs in the Metroid games, however there is one class (which will get revealed later on) that I've taken advantage of because it doesn't feature in the games but is stated in lore. Weapon wise an artificial gravity manipulator that affects space has occurred in Metroid, at least in the manga the pirates actually used gravitational weaponry (a black hole) to break through zeebes defence.

And one antagonist has been officially revealed, though if you have been seeing my artwork on deviantart (thebritwriter) then you probably know, again I delved deep into halo lore for this one.

I appreciate any feedback at this stage, while next chapter will feature Halo's more 'familiar' characters.


	5. To not come to terms

**To not come to terms**

* * *

He stood alone because he was the one that lasted.

Alone he was in fact, because he was the sole survivor of his own journey.

From the day of his first deployment , Reach, the pillar of Autumn, Earth and his return. Each mission started with someone and each turnout left him with no one.

And now the greatest adjustment in his life was coping without that one voice of life, that went her way for him, there was no voice, no ghost in the shell. Nothing remained of Cortana save the goodbye in his memory.

'Can I join you, sir?'

John didn't catch the voice at first, he was slow to respond, mired deep in his own personal loss, it wasn't uncommon for other staff having to address him twice and was something that had not gone unnoticed but despite the initial delay John did recognize the voice. It was a voice that came from what he regarded as his inner circle of comradeship.

'Fred' John said with a nod of recognition from one spartan to the other, both same generation, their posture and look was also casual. Being helmetless was as casual a Spartan II ever got, even when in a group they called "blue team"

The team was arguably the only group that knew the faces of each other but that none of outside knew save the occasional specialized teams tailored to support or other roles for a spartan. Even then the number that could understand the enigma of John himself was smaller, with Fred being that rarity who knew John without the immersion of gear that made him the fabled "Master Chief" but his history.

'It's been a long time' Added John.

'About blue team, or when we danced round with knives?'

'Tango turned brown and yellow when they saw that' Chuckled john albeit the humour felt rough, the stoic style was to make a dry remark passively, and briefly instead he delved into a more emotional tone, something Fred knew, they did share the same history and training, especially the "war" games with Tango who were tasked to beat kids.

Tango were rejects, failures and dirty fighters all round who ultimately couldn't beat some kids, even when the kids were Spartan II's. It must have wounded their pride to have to resort to spying on them to try and gain an advantage, but Fred and John were both aware of that on one occasion, useing it to showcase how they would greet each other. With knives.

The real cutters, nothing smuggled from canteen or improvised little pokers, in their younger days John and Fred played with the real ones. Circling the other at first with side face of the blade pressing the other cheek. Daring and building the thrill of battle within before they moved round testing their reflexes and savour their prowess. They trusted their skill, expecting the other to be a challenge with an instinctive trust to their own internal reflexes to parry and counter the other. Cold steel clashed with cold steel, feets moved round kicking dust at the other trying to catch the other off guard, attempt to strike came as did the parry, fast aggressive, full of bravado and daring. It was how they warmed their adrenaline for battle. And to let Tango know what they were in for.

And even if tango weren't watching they would had done it anyway, it was an uncommon practice with the two having different reasons for doing so, more so for John. He was different, he had a natural edge to be ahead from academic to physical competition. He carried a stronger fire, people often forget that a strong fire has to burn and often many challenges were too much a burn to handle but John had a taste for it and yet wasn't so consumed to be deluded. Regardless he had a taste for battle in his own way.

In comparison Fred often took on John's fire head on so as to observe, understand and to match John to gain the respect of each other while John wanted to push himself, Fred wanted to temper it, he wouldn't fight adversity for the sake alone but by seeing how long he can fare against it, only on the face of bravado did they appear alike but within their own agenda set their own personas and ideas.

Over time their personas matured and became more refined, serious, unafraid and unhesitant by their own drive, against the storm of war. Even when others back down, they would not. Sometimes that made Fred contemplate what did that make everyone else? What did it make the II's to the IV generation? Despite the many different classes and structures that made the "territory" of the UNSC, the "II" project was one where the children must stand out to all others, they had become a tribe, independent in value, their thinking, strength and nature was not in line nor equal to everyone else. It was how they were meant to be, to be more then the whole that felt increasingly lonely. Which was why the nature of Blue team evolved from a team of mutual combatants to a close kit of comradeship, the last belonging to a generation that was, inevitably, sailing towards it's end time.

Fred, along with two other compatriots, Linda and kelly were a comradeship and what they fought wasn't necessary for earth or their conditioning to orders it was because they were spartans, their cause was the objective because it tested and defined them as who they were, and John was no different, but that was in the past. The truth was that it had been a while where John took the destiny of the lone wolf, saving the earth, facing the flood and being MIA only to come back after all that time and lose the only one that wasn't a spartan that gave him company. It was why Blue team was assigned to the Infinity , John was now integral to their operations, the most decorated and proven solider connected with the most frontline and advanced warship made sense as was the decision to reunite him with his old team.

Did command expect success followed by success? Yes but they weren't ignorant either, besides the reintroduction it was feared John was becoming isolated, there was always a dependence in the past when by himself but now Cortana was gone and there was a fear he was facing a test he didn't fully know how to deal with.

'It has been too long, Linda and Kelly have been asking about you too. Were mostly stationed at east wing'

'I'll visit'

'We have some tag gear, laser sight if want to go a round?'

'...Were you sent here?'

'Pretty much, but only because they at the top told us you were alive, they also said' He treaded his tone carefully. 'What happened to Cortana. I'm sorry. We wouldn't come to you out of orders, you know that. We come because you're one of us.'

'Thanks, but I'll be ok' came the insistence 'I just need to adjust accordingly. I am of my word...I'll visit when I'm ready.

There was an charistic pause, fred pretended he didn't notice but John abruptness felt like he was just interrupted by someone, in a silent room with one stoic and one slightly less stoic spartan didn't leave many candidates to interrupt. Fred did observe quickly that's john's direction of stare was to the helmet of his table, or it be it the back with a insertion chip missing. It was a silent observation and he said nothing as John carried on an act that he didn't hear anything, or anyone.

'We had a look round the infinity' Added Fred, playing along and away from what had occurred. it's not bad in size, we'll cover some operations, you're up for reconnaissance, give us a chance to stretch our legs on your behalf.'

Fred partly suspected that John knew the infinity's captain probably already approved of this and this was a formal telling to the John to have an unofficial break, and to perhaps confront something he may have been buffering himself from by attending every mission presented, he looked carefully without being noted at what John was thinking, he was a hard man ro read but he could see the tell tale signs of a man reluctant to sit back and think of what he was left with.

'I-'

There was a chance John would accept the offer but the chance he did would never be known for certain with an alarm beeping in the room next to a comm-screen, the flashing was a several second notification as Lasky, captain of the Infinity spoke from the bridge.

'Gentlemen, we have a call' His face was serious and was clear he got the worst of the news. 'We have a _Echo A-rank_ request. Lieutenant Frederic, I wanted to give blue team something small as you only just arrived, but it looks like you're going to be sent to the deep end.'

'Nothing we Spartans can't handle, Sir' There was a slight move in the direction of the ship, despite how advanced it was he could feel the move and knew the slipstream would kick in within seconds.

'All I have is that a base is calling on for reinforcements, they're expecting incoming casualties and need support, medical and firepower. Blue team is to be ready for immediate action, a briefing will be ready in dock 4.'

'Got it'

Fred spun round in hearing John, only to see doors closing behind.

He looked at the table to see the helmet was no longer there, Echo A-rank was a top request, but it was also the excuse and immersion John needed to be the Master Chief, and to not come to terms.

* * *

AN: This wasn't an easy chapter to write as one of the challenges was adding blue team and establishing history, given in halo 5 blue team just came out of the, well, blue.

I be straight up to say that Fred and John "practicing" with knives never happened in lore, however this has happened with a unspecified military group during the ground build up to the Iraq ground invasion where the autobiography said the group it's based on would get themselves pumped up by trying this, they were a special forces group that prided on standing out.

However I think it's one of the better examples i can find that explains their violent character. For example there's a video on the net titled "Spartans vs ODST" and likely still on youtube there you have John who (after doing weights) takes off a pin before a group comes, so one guy nearly gets hurt and he turn nearly kills them (Yes i know elbowing john as he left was provocative but that was to gloss over what he did first was extremely dangerous and that the guys didn't know it till after weights fell)

Now I can write up flashback to the gym scene but personally I think adapting the knife idea showcases John's vicious side better. (and John is vicious, he matured later on but he is well tuned in his fighting and efficient because of it) it also helps add history between John and Fred and how their different. Ultimately the Spartans were made to be "humanity's hope" but in military context meaning they were super weapons. Given I'm treating this as just after 4 and before 5 in the games there are certain parts I'm challenged with and that's introducing blue team as well as the MC and the aftermath of Cortana.

Also on research "Tango" did exist and were to test the Spartans and I know the spartans were young but I don't think anyone will let Tango forget they lost to kids, the military IS a very testosterone environment, honour, respect and bravado is there in spades.


	6. Last hours of the Aegis IVLian I

**Last hours of the Aegis IV/Lian I**

* * *

Lian, the supply world, its name the same as the system it was within, but it wasn't the true name of the system. It was a code word for a secret occupation onto a territory that wasn't theirs'.

Forty-One years ago the UNSC was, in the eyes of outsider forces fractured, struggling to beat down a series of insurrections and in 2517 there was one that it failed to subdue.

The story was that a small fleet mutinied along with colonies and colony ships and sought to relocate to a further part of space, the logistical planning couldn't had been possible without the planning of a then captain Dane, allied with another captain who was once viewed as a successor to Terrance Hood. Not only was the insurrection of 2517 a loss of talent within UNSC's own ranks but it was a loss of face and strength, despite the brilliance of the opposition earth's military was on the ball and sent a rapid response to cut them off.

Roughly there was four of earth's to every one of the insurgent's, it was aimed in shutting down the resistance as well as sending a message to any other would be idealist to think again.

Yet what came was a shock and horror of the opposite, where the consequence has lived on Forty-One years later. That fleet sent to crush a movement in its infancy was decimated. It vanished and to make matters worse the insurgency lost only one personnel, and had since become something more and with a name.

The Galactic Federation.

It was a name that the UNSC didn't recognize, but could do little about, except call their territory _Disturbed settlements._

Admitting the worlds in question were not under direct earth's control...but at the same time not recognizing the federation's independence.

The Federation shortly after its establishment produced ships that greatly outclassed the UNSC's at a rate no one still knows how.

They were based on a unique technology that was not forerunner or Covenant that could travel the stars faster and had means to scour and protect and preserve future frontiers. Over 200,000 systems were under their list of claims, a staggering claim and one with the political intention of keeping the UNSC boxed in.

It had been said by some that if there was no Covenant then there would be a war with the UNSC seeking to bury the idealist regime for good, but the same could be said of the federation. They also had the ships to possibly end the UNSC but in the end neither have done so. There were still outside forces associated with the Covenant to contend with, the priority of halo rings, or that either side didn't have the man power of resources to claim sovereignty over the other. The federation was small but powerful and the UNSC was made smaller by its exhausting war against the genocidal Covenant.

The final and most simpler reason many aligned on was that both powers still had someone they knew on the other side, if anything the two had more to gain together, economically, scientifically and even militarily but the idea of UNSC accepting the federation, is to accept it acknowledged a separatists right to be free and would revitalise trouble at home again. And the Federation could never accept agreement with a government that once tried to wipe them out and nor did they give details of what happened to the 2517's the fleet that vanished with relatives from that fleet convinced that there are survivors now prisoners but that was all speculation with the federation declaring it as a victory and nothing more.

It was a victory that made Dane an admiral, or justify his own title depending on which source someone read on the matter, unsurprisingly UNSC and the Federation support differing accounts..

It was also the victory that made a "martyr" of the federation cause since, the once promised prodigy to Terrance and the only insurgent to have died in the battle of 2517, but her name lives on in the federation, not in gold plating outside memorials, named buildings and institutes, but by her son who carries her name and serves as a Commander and lives as a thorn to the UNSC's side, finding and deterring any vessels that strayed into the GF over "navigational error"

Lian was maybe the only time the UNSC have evaded the detection of that Commander that some in ranks refer unfondly as the son of a bitch, they probably would had called him "that bastard" if Robert watts hadn't taken that honor first.

Lian was painfully detailed in preparation and execution, in preparation the system was like many others were monitored by state of the art federation detection but like FS-176 they devised a series of 'blend in' measures. Means that military intelligence believe would allow them to be undetected, it also meant getting ships to fly close to other "claimed systems" to fool the federation to thinking developments were happening elsewhere.

The UNSC bans gambling as unprofessional but it was gambling with lives in this extensive covert operation and what was at stake was unearthing and capturing blueprints to what the insurgents must had found that made them the federation they are now. The fact there were no reported survivors of what happened in 2517 made occupants on the base at times uneasy, on edge, they figured that kind would come from the Covenant not their own species. Though history books have been recently revised and "cleaned" up since before and during the Covenant war so as to emphaise humanity's own moral superiority of above no wrong.

Lian wasn't quite like earth, it was breathable and the gravity similar but the sky shaded a softer limeish colour and the days consisted of near total day, in varying hours it would dip to more natural darkness but the days have been truly dark, with temperature bordering on constant. There were colder months but the planning for Lian also took into account settling onto this world also. The base was built on a world where despite temperature and daylight differences was still habitable and suitable, with the spot being the most least disturbed surrounding they could build and leave on.

The operation was to the point where the UNSC had installations in place, besides the base that was a silver spiral with fixed rings around its structure. It housed several thousand personnel and the research lead within the facility was classified. it was the base where samples found were sent analysed and sent to ONI transports, the base even had a prototype mechanism where it could refuel ships in orbit by sending intense shots of collected solar energy keeping any ships on patrol on a renewable source instead of having to use their own, prolonging them in a situation like a confrontation.

There were also a experimental "dampening" system, details classified but those who knew of their existence were aware they placed per hundred thousand miles from each other, hidden in spacial objects with the aim of making the scenario where should the federation arrive more favorable to the UNSC, they were there to slow any arriving ships and to reduce sensor range by as much as 70% This was to buy time in evacuation and according to tests they did work, one was tried secretly on Dane's ship and noted a slight decrease in speed however the desired effect had yet to be delivered on the Commander's.

If the worst happened then Echo A-Rank was called, this brought in reinforcements but more so called in the Infinity. It had access to a slipstream route that while not instantons was still very fast and one that the infinity had the durability for.

Nothing should come close to the inner planets, the dampeners should grind any jump entries at the outer planets and their speed capping at subsonic, even if for a while.

That idea held till far above the planet but within the inner boundary did a portion of the starlight seem to turn, there was a distortion of the light something blurred in the midst of the sunlight's path towards Lian, sensors picked up something, gravity dwelling and acting it had mass, people on board and onboard the neighbouring ships felt a tug of a new strong presence, then there was a push, an expulsion of gravity the scans picked up some kind of opening similir to a slipstream exit but that meant it wasn't their's. Alarms were raised on the planet and the ships patrolling turned to defend or ready for evacuation but had to ponder about the likeness of conflict, the incursion should not had happened at this close. Something had opened close and something had come out.

The scans detected small numerous signs of biological material, on scanners they were just dots of discarded matter. To the eyes of those commanding the ships closest they could see uniforms, frozen grasped hands, faces iced in deathly blue showing the horror of their last thoughts. And what was coming.

The distress code _Echo-A rank_ was made, destined for the _Infinite_ to receive.

Shortly afterwards the invasion followed.

* * *

The worst scenario was now a reality for the research team in system _FS-176_. They were not alone.

EVERYONE INSIDE! NOW!

Fielding Rushmore tried to scream sense into his ground team but everyone was locked in dreaded awe at the silent but deadly fiery exchange between the distant aegis and the much larger intruder, till the Aegis no longer fought back with the much larger alien vessel sending a greyish swarm of much smaller vessels to the Aegis completing its subjection.

The world they were on, Oormine II had a new danger besides just evading nuclear storms.

Fielding Rushmore screamed out the orders again, it was far but the fact that made the danger present made distance irrelevant it was there and they needed to be safe he didn't want anyone have time to think about the worse only to stay alive. That was the priority. That was what mattered.

People moved as quickly as they could in their bio-suits, the majority were trained to follow the appropriate response, some even being veterans of that experience when their worlds they were on or even lived were glassed by the Covenant in the last war. Rushmore glared at Luther who was still watching the subjection, documenting, a possible carnage and he looked through the mounted scope as if it was a documentary. Rushmore felt like punching the glass of that visor and let the atmosphere do the rest.

'Luther! We're going. Luther!'

He spun round giving clarity to his actions.

'I saw something! I wanted to see what happening was.'

'You can see what's happening!' He shouted.

'And I saw something else, ships much smaller dropping out of the larger. Their different!'

'What?''

''Their designs is not uniform to the larger ship they were housed in, they were much too similar to the Covenant'

'...No' His blood felt cold. He felt dead when he heard that, was he serious? He looked into his own scope at the direction only to see the bastard was right, black dots riding through the clear sky of this wasteland.

Fielding took a look from the scope and caught a glance, the design he saw had all the bearings of the Covenant, they behaved differently to the alien invader in flight pattern and the way they were moving down to approach was almost textbook like from how the old Covenant acted. But the designs weren't identical to the case he was taught to be familiar with, were they some kind of offshoot?

Luther gestured his hand to activate a hologram with numerical measurement he was getting an est of the decreased distance, the calculation was quick.

'We just got ten minutes'

'We might just make it!' Fielding dragged Luther with him as they all started to make their way to the temple their hope? Mercy. They were hoping for mercy from killers, which was all they had.

* * *

He could see the overview and feel the ecstasy of the battles within the measly vessel, his eyes soaked up the detail depicted from his hologram, the Aegis was a beast turned on its belly it had since been overrun and already piracy was in full force, thanks to the intelligence provided by the infiltrator he had all the records needed about who was worth their use, he didn't need the so called troops, their use was proven on the battlefield as useless, most of them gutted and severed, some taken and dragged down to what that woman had opened earlier. Of course he knew what it was, the outcome of that infestation was certain and he could have done it himself if he wanted to but Ilsa had proven herself to be...competent. At least enough to forgive her for her first failing, and that was an even easier errand at the time.

Everyone had their role; she had managed hers and was looking at the pod that escorted her back. The infiltrator's role was to yet to be done, not all the ones he detailed as worth to capture were brought back to the ship, but there was enough that the rest will be part of the "shielding" next to the newly installed devices on board just to make the forces at Lian a bit hesitant to shoot at. While the rest...just seeing them fall into opening slipstream was marvellous. Very shortly the captured refitted Aegis will become a very useful once it fires through that jump with the "infestation" as part of the packaging.

He mused to himself about everything else but it wasn't too concerning, it was all covered.

The needle shaped pods had done their work, many coming back with spoils of capture despite minor skirmishes still occurring within the Aegis, but they were of no threat, with Upsilon on board and the infestation what can they do? Upsilon was the finest of the ever evolving task force at his disposal, till the next best generation that is, and how he was looking forward to that.

Ultimately the heritage of a species did not matter to him, the way he saw it all sums made the part, or the parts of others can still make another one, it was simply a futurist way of seeing things. His way.

While there has been a culture to where the rest of his forces were raised on his ideals because they had nothing else, he also was in their minds constantly, while not entirely drone like in behaviour they were conditioned to accept his own philosophy on life, he could also know what they were really thinking before they could say it, sorting them out without necessarily making a blatant example. If he knew some doubted him, and he did, he would prompt them to take the suicide run. He could always make more.

Overall his men were free to embrace his values, just not free to say no to it. All they were now were just extensions of himself, the practisers of his murderous ways.

Ilsa and the infiltrator were exceptions, they were atuned to his line of thought without any needed control, this did not give them any greater respect but he did recognize the opportunities, one caring for wealth and to satisfy his sociopathic thinking while the other was fixated with waiting UNSC and a personal foe dead. And now that IIsa has proven herself maybe he will help her with that. The sting of losing face because of not getting the Infinity that he promised to that rouge brute was still there but then that was the least on his mind at the time. He tried not to think about it because doing so gave him the instinctive urge to find that pathetic crybaby who ruined everything back then and care for nothing else!

It was too late however to not think about it which was where his greatest strength came in, his own self-restraint. Her words spoke out as if the years gone never happened and she was here defying him.

 _ **THREE!**_

 _I'll defeat you on the count of three! If you're capable of it, then let's count together!_

Even when wounds have healed and upgrades made, skin for alloy on the parts that would not heal, his mind would not forget.

His eyes captured the asteroid field in its fullness, divided parts of a once greater whole. The sound of knuckles grinding from his monstrous hand was notable to the crew that wisely stayed quiet.

He had to step back into thought, remind himself that while Zebes was lost, he still had that brute on his list and that there was a silver lining to all of this, one being that he was still alive.

The second that he still had a marauder that housed himself and a working industry within that the captured humans will now contribute, but mostly he had the wisdom to see what the Chozo had to offer, and what they saw themselves.

He found it amusing, suddenly but quite amusing now that he thought about it how defeat had given him a vision to an even greater victory because he now at last saw the possibilities, it made him smirk, the thought of all the promised gains he will get, and a death especially for her and it starts from here.

'One'

* * *

AN:

Quite narrative but I'm taking the time to establish things, and this wasn't as straight forward given the different locations in the story, just to note there is a Robert Watts in halo lore, and the quote regarding 'three' is in fact from the Metroid manga. Also to confirm that the pirate ship is a "marauder" it's not seen in the prime series but it's stated to be extremely large and apparently some shipyards gone bankrupt trying to build it. But as it's never been shown I had some creative ideas with it, but the needle pods attacking their in the Prime 3.


	7. The Esteemed I

**The Esteemed I**

* * *

Escorted from the Aegis now that her her role was done and favour repaid, for now.

There were some scowled looks from the creatures that called themselves pirates, zebes, a species of no true origin, nomadics, always naming themselves after the world of their last conquest, they had nothing natural about them, any sense of home was long gone. They were wanders following the scent of their next kill, their travels through space and transcended them into a biological terror to where they all biologically engineered, augmented for evolved purpose, and to serve a leader whose ideology was that war was always on the move.

Despite being an alien, the zebes commander, their "God" who they long feared had a striking human mentality, a forged mindset for dominance. Ilsa returned the glare back to the pirates that hated her. Was it because of her strength? Did they fear downgrade? oblivion? In survival of the fittest there was no rest or equality, there was constant evolution, competition to see who be on top, only for it to continue. Survival was constant, it created the best and buried the lessers.

'Demon' said one cursedly. Too far to be close it was a pirate another freak of the stars who muttered it to her. He was far from her to where she would had to march upto it, but she wouldn't be baited and returned the long stare back. They say hatred has its roots in fear, maybe not in all cases because she could tell from the creature's small eyes and spiteful tone that he feared her because of her future. So long as she had a future here, it will not.

There were screams and shouts of panic, her eyes could barely be bothered to look at the commotion only to see if that coward she dragged with him was there and he probably was, that poor Amir, and like all those selected whose value was in building and maintaining, their skills were to put to better use within the marauder. In all her life she had not envisioned a ship like this, just like the pirates inside was a workshop nothing that any of the UNSC or even the covenant could muster. Large enough inside to convert planetary resources, build ships within and more. The ones who slack in their new role or protest too much will soon find out other things this marauder housed within it's dark interior.

It wasn't impervious though, given it's high value it was protected by other ships but it had it's weapon that the Aegis had lately found out itself, but while yet to see the weapon in detail it apparently wasn't space pirate or seemingly related to the remains of that race found at the surface of Oorme II. The weapon used had a very different origin given how different it's function was, wondering if it even had anything to do with that group that was sent onto Oorme. She hadn't seen them but heard that someone other then the pirates were sent to sort out the Aegis crew on there.

Despite being alone in the lift, ascending to her new employer, did not breathe a sigh or relax a little after that challenge. The capture of non combatants, releasing that 'thing' it was that which remained stuck in her head the lift gave a hum signalling its ascent. It, that energy of something, like an ever expanding glow of deadly mist.

It could had come back to her, could have broken through the barriers and consume her but instead it flowed away from her. Submersing all those that fired on her and for some reason her hands twinged, and for another darker mystery her veins briefly shown a darker colour coursing through her hand. Somehow it felt she signalled something it, maybe.

Raising her own hands she wanted to see if she actually did imagine it but again she saw just briefly, a rise of a darkish colour before it delved deep and hid beneath her pink skin. She examined her hands, they no longer trembled, the adrenaline was under control but seeing her hand activate that light from the pod, what did he do to her exactly? She did not feel stronger, yet, but there was a certain feel of destiny about her actions. Her future.

No coincidence this was connected by the unusually patient pirates, despite her failing she was allowed to more or less live on here serving the "Commander" who in turn took it upon himself to further conditioning her "perspective" on things.

It was not the first time that he had taken a liking to her attitude, if anything it was her actions that caught his attention to begin with. Back before her attempt on Infinity and not long after she had undergone the prototype stages of IV Spartan program and fooled them was when she got the attention.

* * *

Her allegiance at the time was with the Colonial Alliance under an admiral called Drake. Held quite an opinion of himself, even quixotic at times, she had seen him once or twice. He was nothing remarkable but he got supplies, intel and "spare ships" from someone, enough to get her involved and more than enough to last longer than the failed group run by robert watts who got taken out by Spartan kids. She wondered if he was ex ODST, it would explain a lot.

She never knew how Drake got to where he was but she had her suspicions that she would find out sooner or later.

Over the months of her augmentation she was given "tasks" when in fact they were just free reign for her to use her abilities to justify the means, very soon she had adopted a very indiscriminate approach to violence. She wondered if the extent of violence used would be counter-productive, but she surprisingly found herself uncaring about that. To those who weren't augmented could not fathom the sheer liberation of not being measly restricted, there was so much she could do now. Her inner anger, her own personal sense of injustice at those who crossed her and to gain that feel of retribution was...remarkable.

What was more surprising is that those were her orders, kill Lanis, Kill Javren, Kill, Kill and Kill. All within the colonial alliance and all who crossed her, smeared her and she did it without a sense of remorse, because being remorseful was fear of being caught. Her orders coming from Drake removed that fear, orders from the highest head meant, to her, she was simply following the law. Even so it was the augmentation that made it certain and the impunity made it all the more satisfying to know their friends could so little about it, the augmentations removed that doubt, she felt...stronger.

Still, it was very much unlike Drake to do this, she doubted he knew her enemies personally, the people she felt wrong her, but the transition from orders to answers was quick and in a few days she was summoned to his office only to now know Drake was in fact relaying orders from something else, everything stopped when she walked in and saw the holographic representation.

'What is this?' She remembered being unable to keep that in her head and the creature simply chuckled in knowing that.

Drake tried to join in the conversation, an attempt to assert his presence.

'Ilsa you kept us waiting, I and my associate were.'

'Shut up' Snapped the "associate" it suddenly became clear that despite the standing there was no equality between the two. The creature looked at Ilsa, his eyes glowed, he showed intelligence with a look and spoke of his voice implying he knew her quite well without having to have met.

'Hello, Mrs Zane. I am happy to see your augmentation has brought you here, your prowess and indiscriminate approach to violence has been...remarkable to say the least.'

'And you are?'

'Just a simple arms dealer' Was the claim 'One that has spent some considerable and time and effort helping prop up this "colonial alliance" prepping distant colonies with some defence, for a fee of course. A respectable one. Drake is a good face for my business. I am indeed different but I do not wish to see you suffer another colonial massacre on the scale like…' He paused, he seemed to be toying around he was forgetful, it might had been because he was a being that could act like that with no consequence. Only later in life were her earlier suspicions right.

'K-2L' He said with a click of his clawed fingers 'It was a long time ago, but still a very savage event, who would had thought the covenant be capable of that?'

At the time she could never fathom the significance the creature held over the admiral of the colonial alliance, later on there were some truths, Drake was indeed a face, the alien's own being too terrifying for other civilians to respect, his charisma fale and his terror all too real. It was also true that he did deliver covenant weapons to some colonies but they were prone to break in a short time to prevent reverse engineering. And it was also true even upto now that he never revealed how.

What she was to learn later on was no one was ever _asked_ into a partnership with the creature, they were either roped into it or worse. It left questions about Drake, why the colonial alliance existed and, what couldn't not be avoided, did Drake have a future once the alliance ran it's course?

'Is there a problem?' Asked the creature.

'It's a fanciful story, an alien who values our humanity'

'I wouldn't assume that far' The veil of his politeness had almost dropped entirely, the tone was strong, he was for a moment reactionary offended to her comment. Though his tone softened a little where there was a sarcastic streak to his words. 'but my credentials have more merit a lone admiral setting up a colonial rebellion all by himself.'

The holographic depiction stared hard at her and Ilsa back in turn, the message from the creature was silent yet heard. There would be no underestimating to him.

'But you are right, this is not all about values, it's about establishing new ventures. And I can be a worthwhile ally if you did this favour for me.'

'Nothing is beyond me'

'Ah confident? Good. There is a ship, a prototype like no other. I have know about this for years as well as my associate. He very much like the ship for himself, waiting patiently on the sidelines till it was close to development. From what I've been told that time is almost now'

'What does the colonial alliance get out of it?'

'Get? I think there's been a bit of miscommunication here. The alliance is a scam, this insurgency represents breakaway colonies on the outside but the truth is it's heavily geared and devoted to the capture of this ship. Within rights I can stop my generous support, and we'll see what the "alliance" really has to offer once my stock on your shelves is gone. You however will be rewarded and whoever you wish for your reward to be shared'

'I have no one to share with'

'So that's a yes? Good! You have a promising, strong personality, with an admirable trait but be warned any who take on my offer I expect to keep'

'What should I call you?'

'I am normally called by many titles, usually insincere...but in your case you can call me...Ridley'

'Ridley?'

'Yes a name a _friend_ once gave me. Don't disappointment me. "Friend"

* * *

That was her thought at the time, however as the lift reached it's destination, stepping out she saw the bridge, the servitude pirates made of differing variants of the same kind who were busy operating the ship and co-ordinating commands, their heads were down focused at work as well as avoiding the impression giving their "commander" a look.

The bridge had immense space, and a long staircase, with equally large portions, for the giant to move and glide about when he wanted to. He expected all others to call him by Commander but she had been allowed to call him by a more personal name that was Ridley, she wasn't sure if the friend part was true and it felt strange a creature, an alien that wasn't remotely humanoid giving something to "humanify" him by. She him watching intently at an asteroid cluster, she saw only his back but the gripped knuckles of his hands at the back hinted a restrain of a old anger.

She had seen his anger before when she had failed to obtain what she initially promised, her traumatic recollection was silent, as was her own self-suffering. The eye twitched briefly and her mind relived the moments when she last saw that look from that creature's face.

* * *

She was close to complete control till that spartan pretender, who they called Palmer kicked her off and left her for dead in space. She could hazily remember the rescue, picked up and taken to some kind of large room. As her mind wrestled the daze to be fully awakened she something sitting down, waiting to rise, shadows hid it's size, injuries but she could see visible anger from the darkness. She gasped.

'You'

She hadn't expected Drake's hologram to relegate the creature's height by that much. The creature, Ridley, towered over when kneeling down, he snarled standing to full height, the large room barely fit his entire frame. He looked over and Ilsa remembered the fear, a dread of terror that scarred her self-belief as Ridley took a step forward, there were wounds that dried, his face purple at the time was badly scarred, he looked to be hit by something or someone.

'I gave you a simple task' He said, reminding her. 'All I wanted was a ship, one ship traded for another.' Then he snapped, stepping close his face coming close with teeth showing.

'AND YOU FAILED TO DELIVER THAT!'

'It was a Spartan..Palmer!'

'I NEVER MET HER! WHY SHOULD I CARE?'

Ridley's voice boomed across the room, while it was large it couldn't diminish the strength of his outburst almost ripping apart her eardrums with his deafening scream from his gaping mouth. For a terrifying moment she feared she would be chewed and swallowed in one go. She didn't feel any warmth in her face, as if all her blood had raced away from her face leaving her white and terrified, she must have screamed in panic amidst because her throat felt dry and felt nothing else. Her rapid breathing escalated till she found herself almost hyperventilating.

Ridley leaned in closer and all she kept thinking that this was it, and as for Ridley he kept those eyes on her but moved away slowly, observing her, Ilsa noted some characteristics of self-restrain from Ridley, her barely existing rationale concluded the creature was carrying a different kind of anger. An anger of defeat, a burden that must have tempered his urge to shred her body apart with his teeth. Did it mean he needed an ally or something else? For now her panicked eyes did not blink, out of fear she was showing all signs of listening. Ridley's tone cooled somewhat but he still growled out his words.

'You have ANY idea how this will make me look to my associate? To everyone?

There was no way she could answer that, she didn't know what to say or if even saying sorry would anger it even more, this thing nearly matched the height of a Pelican, a fighter craft of all things and was knelt down! Just how in her frantic state of mind would saying sorry change the mind of something like this thing!

So she said nothing and just looked in fear at Ridley, perhaps in the end that was all the thing wanted, see the fear and helplessness, to let him know that he had the right to end her if so wanted to. Ridley said nothing and the signs were there of him readying to let loose his anger but it was, refrained. Barely.

'You disappoint me, but you haven't failed me'

'...I haven't?'

'There may be use of you.' He quickly added, hinting he did not take kind to the interruption. 'I had some trouble' He admitted, confirming but not saying he was attacked, Ilsa paid attention carefully. '...I normally don't admit to such things but despite of your mess up you still have promise and I would hate to see that be wasted'

'Of course' She just instinctively found herself agreeing without thinking. just tell me what i have to do'

No word was said and somehow on cue two bio suited humanoids came in, in fact they were human with the colonial alliance logo on, were these the same ones that brought her onboard originally? Was Drake here as well and she was the scapegoat already?

 _Shhh_

She looked back at Ridley, she could had swore that she heard that in her mind, no she was insisted she was hearing things but at that point there was a smirk on the face of this dragon like creature. Then she had to wonder or dread. It took her mind off the men in bio-suits long enough to not realise several tiny black crystals shunted in some kind of injection gun, when she did it was already stabbed rather painfully into her hand.

'ARGH!'

She felt the eyes of Ridley look down on her again.

'I need to know if you can think alike'

What the hell did he mean by that? But even if she had said it, would she really got a response?

With no warning the two bio suit men came back dragging in something before giving a heavy throw and retreating quickly. What they threw in was a man, naked not far from herself and Ridley, he was scared once he started looking up and he had a face she immediately recognized.

'Drake?!'

The once admiral Drake looked back at Ilsa with the same fear in his eyes that she had.

'Ilsa, please you have to help me!'

That was when he fell deathly quiet, subdued to a measly whimper as the towering Ridley knelt down.

'Shh' He said with mocking reassurance. 'Drake…'

'No please!'

'Drake, Drake. You shouldn't be afraid…'

Upon this the man felt something stroke round his cold back, he felt greatly disturbed and flinched to see it was in fact the creature's tail encircling him, with the tip being a sharp metal, an replacement for the old. Slowly the encircled tail tugged him closer, Ilsa could Drake's eyes, pupils dilated with that knowing certain of horror. An evil that was perfectly personified in the form of a god, not a merciful one but one that was a God of cunning and death.

Ilsa clenched her fists, she was too afraid of trying to make a break for it, it would mean death but to not respond would be death. What was this creature expecting of her?

The seamless tug continued, making Drake constantly trip over his chubby little toes when Ridley's face came closer and closer to him, Ridley's eyes towered over him, the long mouth closer, the hot breath with a strange sickening and burning smell was harsh and even scolded his skin.

'...do you remember our first conversation Drake? When I first saved you and then made you...do you remember what was said?'

'Yes! Yes I do! You said you be my friend...I am your friend! I'll always be your friend!'

'Oh…' The tail slithered away from Drake, a brief respite of reassurance, but that was a lie.

'Well that's unfortunate you see'

'What do you mean by that?' The last cry of denial and ignorant plea that he meant something better.

And seemingly on cue came the answer Ridley had been waiting to give, despite his size he stood up in frightening speed, exposing his bloody gums and the dark yellow coating of teeth. His eyes were not just wild but alive with sadistic fantasy, almost as this was an reenactment for him. Then the mouth widened, Drake could barely scream and with a crunch his body was mangled within Ridley's mouth. He was still screaming and Ridley tilted his head back to deliver another crunch, followed by a heavy gulp of a swallow. With a claw Ridlet traced the process of that bag of flesh he devoured down into his throat.

Ridley didn't hear it because of all the screaming but when he looked down he had noticed that Ilsa had been laughing for quite some time, he gave a smile back. The response was satisfactory.

Ilsa could see this but still carried on laughing, it was she could think of to stay alive to amuse the sadistic, be startled like a rabbit seeing those headlights, or embrace the change. Whatever it was that was stabbed into her hand had embolden her to take a pleasant delight in what she saw. She was terrible herself but Ridley was worse and somehow something inside was making her appreciate the murderous act she saw, almost as if she was starting to think on the same lines as Ridley himself.

* * *

That was when Ridley turned,as if hearing the thoughts, his grin hinted on something more, but he wasn't telling. At least for now. He turned his gaze to the sight of that cluster with Ilsa standing by his side, she had learnt much of the pirate including when he expected someone to pay attention.

'Did I tell you about this world?'

'No' Lied Ilsa, Ridley had in fact told different accounts of the world she now saw but it was the first time she had seen it herself. Ridley had a habit of saying an event relating to his type of emotion, the things he were fond of he spoke with prideful malice, when talking about human history, it's wars he had a genuine tone of fascination.

When it came to the once Zebes his tone was of a restrained anger. Anger at how things were now wasted or lost all because of some "misguided hunter."

'This was my world' He claimed. 'One I got fairly' Hinting on conquest 'So much promise there was..I don't think you met my associates have you?'

'No'

Ridley on a rare occassion was telling the whole truth, he never did tell her about his associates, at least in detail and she imagined they were the ones that were the suppliers of covenant weaponry he bragged about. and Ilsa did partly suspect these 'associates' were in the fact the suppliers of his covenant weapons, the puppet masters were at last stepping out of the shadows.

'Their down at Oormine...they have a more experienced ground force, but yes they have been a useful faction to get involved to help position my influence when I first arrived.'

'Faction? The Kig-Yar?'

'Them? Hah! They had nothing to offer, a collection of dull minds in weak shells. No, the associate I was fortunate to have found was a warrior like myself, bloodlust...almost like my own. Though we haven't been on speaking terms of late'

That was when the eye looked at her, there was no forgetting of her failing to capture the Infinite but that transgression was past though even she felt uncomfortable at how fast the his mood had changed to and back. Instead Ridley stroking his neck, showing intrigue with he said.

'He has been kind enough to send some representatives...Siblings' Saying that made Ilsa wonder if Ridley was being sarcastic, so far as suspecting he was intentionally being given a burden as a petty means of payback.

'You're not offended by brutes are you?' Ridley was straying off topic, expressing a somewhat casual xenophobia tendency, simply because he wanted to toy with ilsa's reaction 'I know they have low hygiene standards, low impulse control and well all that...but you're not all bothered are you?'

'Brutes? No, but since when did they had a faction?'

'Since they were banished' He said with a smile. 'Their leader "Atriox" is a renegade. He was allied to no one but knew the worlds that mattered. He knew where there was forerunner technology and I was more then happy to get it, I keep a few of his pursuers off his back and he repaid the favour. A good mix of power and cunning. Despite the technology-' There was a lack of intrigue or respect he had towards forerunner technology, in his mind he was convinced he could do a better job with it. '-it was his discovery that allowed me Zebes.'

He looked again at the ruins in space.

'Well when it was something at the time.' An unappreciated reminder but he continued.

'Zebes was heavily defended by some uninteresting natives, but the forerunners had artifacts things that could manipulate gravity and engineer ships to unassailable sights. Even larger than this one. Atriox never had the resources for something like that at the time but I did.' There was the same arrogant pride in that..

'But you lose a ship and I find myself without a planet, and the funny thing is it worked out for the better. And you're still here because of it'

'Why was this?' A gesture to the asteroid belt 'Something, you never told me about these "natives" is that the relic you told me about, couldn't you find another forerunner world?'

'This is about more than just the forerunners Ilsa' He said with a glare and Ilsa backed down quickly with a bow of the head.

'I learnt some things after my world was attacked, I learnt that after seeing both the natives and the forerunners that neither of the two acknowledge each other.' He then smiled 'But they have words for the same thing. The forerunners had a word; Reclaimer. Those natives also had a word "entrusted" I never put one and one together, but that was than.' Boasting.

'Now I see the picture and view things differently. You're here Ilsa because I hold you in high esteem.' He then walked away, his interests elsewhere, mainly on the start of the Lian assault but he left left one one last remark 'I hold you all in high esteem'

And the answer as to why he kept to himself, and one way or another she knew she be involved, but she had always been her failure, she just learnt to accept it.

* * *

AN: Backstory and additional information in regards to Ilsa and Ridley, Ilsa waking up to seeing an off frame figure did happen, and that was last time I checked on Ilsa before deciding to use her as a character for this.

There are some hints also here as well.

Also I know very little about Drake, I know Hood doesn't have much of an opinion of him, but like Ilsa their part setup Ridley's "claim" to be in the neighbourhood. Like wise I there has been developments since but I haven't followed them as this was where I decided to use the comic characters. Also I think it's very likely that insurgents won't appear in halo 6 so I don't think the death of Drake is going to cause ripples. Then again this is a crossover also.

Next chapter we go straight back to Lian.


	8. The Entrusted I

**The Entrusted I**

* * *

 _She came down in no real hurry, there was some showmanship in her descent, she fell with elegance, turning herself over in a flip casually, she was confident of her landing, with the pupils of her highly responsive eyes catching everything, a long pull of the sight all around her, everything and everywhere perfectly without distillation or blur._

 _She was coming down fast, but so meticulously was the detail she gathered it didn't feel like she was falling._

 _Then the feet made contact with the hard rock of Zeebes, her newly adopted world. She didn't even so much as flinch, she admired her own physique it was getting better every day. It was a long time since she was a small child trying to desperately inhale just to survive._

 _Now she stood on a world where the number of G's was meaningless to her. Her moment of self-love was cut short by the object that called upon her. A silvery orb, there was a light blue orb emitting from it's centre. No bigger than her head and it's voiced was electronic with no definitive accent or tone though some words did veer towards a more feminine sound. Not an approving one._

 _'Samus'_

 _'...Overseer'_

 _The elaborate fall wasn't without reason, it wasn't about setting limits or feeding that inner craving of the daredevil thrill that was within her, but a silent gesture of prowess to a machine that made barbed comments of her intellectual inferiority. It once described her as a "challenged species". In return Samus showcased her own physical possibilities, the freedom of movement, the physical boast of her strength and remark on the beauties and wonder Zebes had to offer. Things a dull limbless orb could never posses or apperciate. Samus was quiet about her displays but she knew what the machine thought and that the dislike was mutal._

 _'Samus' Trying to correct her quickly. 'You know my name. Child'_

 _The jibe was brushed aside, it wasn't belittling the jibe was a dagger remark to the aspect of her childhood, scared, alone, dying. She did not acknowledge the overseer the decency of respect so neither would the "overseer"_

 _'Apparently not'_

 _It was again another day of tense dislike, it did not stop Zebes being her retreat, though it was one of the things that stopped her calling it fully her home._

 _'I am not here to exchange with your issues. My creators have called for you in the astrology. I suggest you be efficient with your punctuality this time.'_

 _Walking past 'it' She gave no eye contact, if it had a shoulder there would be a brush of contact past it. She heard the machine speak again and this time Samus was genuinely surprised._

 _'Samus.' The overseer said in a tone that was close to frank as it can get 'Despite what you may think I do regret what happened to the Iono-Feria's. You may think actions like that were uncalled for. And maybe you were right, perhaps that does make you the superior out of you and me'_

 _Though there was a compliment there was something unnerving to how the machine viewed things in her spectrum, they were either superior or inferior. While Samus was confident of her own strength and abilities and wanted to show she was the best, it was never at the point of implying herself as "superior" she still held back from such viewpoints for there was always someone better...or worse, her thoughts echoed to that darker time in her childhood and was promptly shut of._

 _'I'm not superior, and I don't hate you but...thank you'_

 _In her mind it seemed the machine wanted to call a truce between a war that was evident but never openly fought. Maybe she did owe the machine it's proper name. She moved quicker towards the near skeleton staffed facility of the Chozo, looking around ifirstly for her pet but the thing was hiding again despite her best calls._

 _The elaborate area housed by now just two, Grey Voice and Old Bird who rescued her of her first home world, and Platinum Chest who she met here. He had not been in contact in the last twelve hours, but the machine had reassured them all he left a message just recently that he was coming back soon. Thinking about it guessed the summoning was perhaps news or unsettlingly, a sad confirmation of Platinum Chest. She never called them by their true names, as silly as it was the names she initially came with as a child because she couldn't pronounce them stuck with them over time. Patient, endearing, they had raised her with knowledge and strength during her stay. Never at one stage did she think about beyond the world, she felt safely secluded in her own dependence, but never knowing in heart that dependence came from the two beings that had raised her since childhood. There was nothing beyond that but whenever that thought came it was pushed aside for an assumption that when it happens. Every day was a when and not one was 'now' She never thought of today being anymore different till she saw the Old Bird and Grey Voice disagreeing with each other in a stern fashion she never seen from them. There was a map showing a star, it had words in their writing she could translate to Soell._

 _'Fathers?'_

 _Asked the concerned Samus, her fathers looked at her and briefly forgot their heated whispering to each other, Old Bird the more conscientious of the two felt almost apologetic in that he have displayed a tone that made his adopted child look unsettled._

 _'Samus' What are you doing here? You were not asked.'_

 _'Mo-That machine said you called for me'_

 _Old Bird shook his head with some disapproval and not the 'machine' seamless error but at his protege._

 _'It is sentient Samus, has the right for a name as you. You deny the rights by refusing to admission the identity.'_

 _'I'm..I'm sorry'_

 _Grey Voice, the taller made it blunt to his fellow kin now that he saw an opportunity to address an issue Sanus had been unaware of._

 _'We are short of time, we need to tell her.'_

 _'Tell me what?' Samus expressed worry and she saw Soell again in the map. Old Bird sighed wearily._

 _'Samus, daughter of Rodney and Virginia. We are proud to have helped you, healed you. But we cannot take the credit that you have given us.'_

 _'There is more' added Grey voice 'The moment we brought you here we noticed something, different, that we shouldn't had avoided addressing for so long'_

 _She didn't look confident 'I am you, right? Aren't I chozo as well?'_

 _'Samus' Said Old Bird 'You are, but what has been revealed before and now has verified that you-'_

 _'You have become more, our discoveries have made you something you will have to quickly bear. You've become our entrusted. Our chosen.'_

 _'Chosen? But..but for what, I've done nothing to'_

 _'This isn't about that, it'll be difficult for you to understand but you are an evolutionary sign of what's coming...raising you with our knowledge was not coincidental, Your stay was more then an extension Samus.'_

 _Grey Voice then pointed "soell" 'And this is the makings of something we had dread would repeat itself. Had Platinum Chest not been missing we would had time to tell you about this, we'd have everything ready, but his absence has disrupted all that. He was sorting arrangements with an ally to deal with this'_

 _'You must trust us Samus, our upbringing you here had become a protection on your behalf. Now with this development, we will need you and for you to trust us'_

 _With a tap of his staff a circumference of light emitted from both the ceiling and the floor materializing was a suit, all samus' eyes could see was gold and a weapon for an arm. Hypnotized by what she saw she walked to it. She had no idea how this would work. There was something righteous, strong willed about it. It felt like a spiritual reflection of her strength, the hand gripped on the canon. As well as an extension of her anger. The dark moments of her childhood came alive and the possibilities flashed of vengeance that she not needing to be at peace with powerlessness. She was surprised that she still had that feel and it alarmed her fathers that she still shown it. Noticing their fears, she bowed her head apologetically for that fear._

 _'I'm sorry fathers'_

 _'You won't understand it now my child' Said old bird with some sadness 'But our reluctance to admit comes with a risk, but for now trust us, this suit will help you, you will become infused and experience power like no other. That power is needed more than ever but without courage and wisdom there is only misuse.'_

 _Grey Voice agreed._

 _'We will leave shortly with a earlier than planned rendezvous with the Galactic Federation, our ally is a human called Adam Malkovich, from him will come a plan to stop the madness in Soell and to end the increasing pirate raids for good. It is in secret however'_

 _'But why?'_

 _'If they found about you Samus then the consequences could be severe for your and your kind. This Adam is the closest we have to a trusting individual.'_

 _'We have brought you up for this Samus' Added Old Bird 'Ultimately the choice is yours. It is your right as a sentient to decide'_

 _There was a wrestled issue in her mind, entering the flay of violence after spending so long sheltering from it but it seems the universe cannot hide from the sadistic violence of others. She turned to the suit._

 _'No one of my own people have fought for me...but I will fight for both of you. I owe that much'_

 _She wanted to added something else when reaching out for the suit willing to accept the mantle and the responsibility it brought and for a flicker of a second she heard some kind of whisp, a speeding sound of something big. The Chozo caught on, Grey Voice hosting a barrier of energy around the room and Old Bird shouted something to Samus but the words were forever lost by the screeching detonation and murderous force that followed. Blackness overwhelmed but she was aware, in a state of screaming over and over, triggered terrors of the nuclear detonation from her homeworld._

 _The descreated pirates._

 _The long dead bodies of her once friends and neighbours._

 _The blast that engulfed her mother's remains._

 _And the same blast that killed that 'thing'_

 _Throughout the ordeal she could see nothing just that veil of dark depth without shape, a void of motion and sensory, her mind carried on screaming wanting to move and live and not suffocate in the dark._

 _With no warning piercing light broke across the horizon of the dark. Her eyes battered open with the sudden influx of burning yellow, thick smell of dirt and fire burned her nostrils then she felt a sickening sensation, a smell of death. Her eyes now fully exposed to her hellish surroundings, there was a collapse of the structure, chozo, with rock and other materials breaking in and there she saw the still, her fathers no more but martyrs of her life. She screamed, tears streamed her hurt cheeks, her sanity torn by a few minutes of horror._

 _She pulled herself up not thinking of how much weight of rubble was brushed off or how it was done and knelt down beside them shaking them gently hoping for them to come around, hope a miracle. She whispered to them desperately, speaking on behalf of that same child that was left for dead now was faced with a most horrible of vice versa with the child in the body of a young woman trying to awaken her fathers with nothing but tearful pleas._

 _In the midst of her grief she noticed the gold on her, at first she didn't give a damm before it clicked to her that the armour had infused onto her. It came clear what happened, they brought her time, hoped it had worked, and she was here proof of it. She didn't know what this suit could yet do, her instinct was to get out, then her mind turned solely on the gun and if it was fuelled by her sudden violence turned to the rubble and fired a swift shot of burning energy it had melted a hole effortly. It was enough for her to make an advance to get through. She fought her way out, punching and clawing her way through debris, it started to cave into her but she screamed back in furious rage, breathing heavily, seething and death driven in mindset tearing rocks out of the way till she stumbled and fell outside. She rolled uncomfortably before an awkward landing, the suit she wore looked damage but it bore the brunt that made her survive. She looked round to what or who did this!_

 _Her eyes saw something it was nearly beyond her sight but it had a distinct shape her nightmares would not make her let go. It was flying away, she could make out the outline of the head of the tape and she dropped to despair and anguish. She was sure it was dead, why wasn't it dead? Why? WHY?_

 _Despite the strength, her survival, she felt it was all gone, everything and the only thing alive was that nightmare. She saw something further in the back, some kind of ship. It was a monster flanked by other alien vessels, they were not pirates in mark but they were with them so to her they were all the same and she dug her hand deep thinking about killing everyone of those bastards. She did not know how they got to this world, but she'll avenge everyone! What she desired of justice was it the same her fathers had wanted? She was trying to reason herself that was the case when a image flashed on her hand, a holo depiction of a ship, she wiped her face, it was showing a map towards an escape. She'll go get off here, find Adam and come back and them all pay. She will strive to survive just so that she can kill._

 _Her mindset was entrenched with her own resolve, spiralling into something more terrible that only the resistance soft animal call woke her rationalie briefly, it was a sound of a creature she adopted and like her adapted in a way to survive her now leaving world. She was recognized that fleeting call and began pulling away rubble upon rubble searching with increasing desperation._

 _Don't die! Please! Pyonchi!_

 _She feared the soft bleating noise that followed would be the last, she worked hard, her body sore was now screaming in agony but she ignored. Then she could hear it louder, she was close, the taste of hope was there, pulling more and more till. It looked at her the strange creature, soft eyes critter that resembled between species of a rabbit and a another she hadn't seen herself._

 _'Pyonchi!' her name to it and one that meant everything to her._

 _It looked at her hurt and wanting care and she just picked it up and hugged, there was something to salvage when want of blood was put aside. She allowed herself to weep briefly before resuming to find the ship, it was further from where that dark vessel was in the sky and from there she'd find Adam and return._

* * *

She remembered that, the pain of six years still plagued her, from her return to Zebes, the resolve and the end of her nemesis...and she was still without peace. In part knowing of what she had done to achieve it.

Beside her was the steadfast companion Pyonchi, still the same shape and size, same strange ears and tail. It did have a bit of a hubble, it was getting old but as Samus was still young Pyonchi seemed to be entering that age many would one day have to accept. For now it nestled by her as she looked at the trio of stars in the distance of the world she came to. Stars of a traingular formation were rare, in Chozo history this was a sign of diety influnce, and they existed, as well as one. Zebes was her last call of action, she was entrusted and she failed that duty. Everything from that day was a commitment to be here. For answers. For her own peace,

'Shh' She said stroking her pet to sleep, she knew of her fathers lore, their culture and religion. Raised around their ways but she ultimately embraced their followings as her own, the only things she cared to remember about her humanity was her parents and the world that was her own, for a time. Despite her personal victory nothing came back for her, there was no satisfaction and she was not welcomed particularly by Adam. Apart from the occasional bounty she was more the withdrawn, no family, no fathers and no feel of association of her own kind. To her they were just the unassuming passing strangers, with the exception of Adam, to all those who entrusted her, her betrayal of that wounded him the most and she regretted it...

The universe she was cast in, the expectations of her responsibilities was not what she had expected, the petty political squabbles between from human government to the other, warring races, despite her determination to make a difference nothing good came, thinking about it everything good in her life was like an illusion in that it never lasted. Zebes was the tipping point and in her head she envisioned her fathers turning away from her in disgust. Morally she was lost. Her entire way of living had been dictated by the influence from those outside her control, she wondered her place in all of this? The only thing she had was a pet and memories, but even this was fleeting she thought grimly, for how long before everything she had would just be a memory as well.

This place, the world circling the three stars was her only option, she didn't think this place actually existed, while she was devoted to what her father's follwed, even some of what she read must had been intentionally exaggerated, but the listing of such a place did ultimately prove to be true even though the search was...extensive.

According to the the Chhozo these suns in a triangular formation answered to the wish or desire of the prayer of the who approached them. Regardless of the nature of the desire there would be an answer to it. For many days Samus had returned to this spot to mediate, cross-legged on the ground her hands mimicking a trianglar arc when pressed to each other as she muttered over and over in the language of her fathers. Every day she bore the exposed burning air and long days of light on her face and her suit, and each day she tried. According to lore this was the place where desires where answered, most notably when a race born of stars sought where to find a home that they came here and recieved their answer.

Samus wanted a simple request, to hear her fathers one again, regardless of how short lived it would be, she needed assurance and direction in this universe, despite the years Zebes did not free her of her memories, that haunting sight when Old Bird and Grey Voice lives were extinguished by could not forget the smell or fully silent the atrocities on K-2L, or remove the image of that monster she sure was dea. Her fingers twitched and every now and then a sound not familiar to her would unsettle her greatly. She missed them and despite the days and hours there was no answer and no voice. This was her fourteenth day here, fasting, mediating and now with a spirit too tired to deny, has finally admitted there was nothing here for her, she had enough.

'Come on' She said to Pyonchi, her sigh was deep but she accepted the answer for what it was and made a start to her vessel, if only she could take things with a casul stride like her pet, her hand gave a sudden twitch but she clenched it tight, the time meditating seem to have gotten to her while making her return, it involved crossing a terrained slope that was more difficult getting up then down but she took the slow way. She could just jump all the way down but she wasn't forgetful as to where she was, even if had turn out to be nothing she would still respect this place. Eventually she reached a reasonable flat terrain with the ship in sight and exposure to the suns had returned, her hand felt to twitch again with her flexing her grip in responce to ignore it before noting a slow cooling dip of her own warmth inside her. She slowed down, despite the exposure to the suns she was starting to feel a cold blanket of a presence. It was an unsettling and disturbed feeling with a gut instinct of dread, it came so suddenly that she had no answer for it only to search around looking for one. Besides the confused look of her small companion, she saw nothing save her own shadow.

Then her eyes remained transfixed to it watching as it silently creeped her out. It was growing, feeding on the light and making it's darkness stretch out even this unfurled she remained entirely stationary, the shadow had no recognizable shape, no imitation of herself it had become a ever growing long point of direction. Going further up on various level of ground it eventually slowed to a halt. Pointing towards a direction in the sky and was baffled why that direction, why this answer?

She knew why. There was another desire, one that was still with her during her meditation but she did not think that would be the thought that resonated with her the most. Her desire was to speak to her fathers for one last time, but it seemed it was not that strong of a wish.

The question she wanted to bury but unable to silence was one that resonated with her anger, uncertainity and fear.

Was Ridley dead?

The direction of the shadow made it clear he wasn't, Far from it. No words could describe that well of her blood boiling and raging at the knowledge. It also meant the pirates still had a leader and were a threat and that she had a reason to fear them once again.

The shadow needed to give no words for the direction. Samus she knew where the shadow led to. Leading her to dread what awaited her if she chose to return.

She could always say no, she did before. The problem was she knew what that led to.

* * *

AN:

This wasn't an easy chapter to write, I will say first that I have been held up by a lot of work projects something that has to be prioritized over things like this.

Secondly this wasn't the intended chapter, I was going to do Lian II but I felt I needed to establish Samus, where she was, both location, state of character and of her own history and place in this story. Ridley's was established so it was time to reveal the other side as well.

(Also Master chief has been established in this so I would address samus at some point)

A lot of Samus material here is based from the manga for several reasons, one was to do something different. There is some other material as well that will get revealed as time passes by. I also want to expand on samus character based on existing material this includes the time of her upbringing with the chozo which raises questions on would she had followed Chozo religion (if they had one) Does she feel more alien then human etc

Quick note, Overseer is an alternative name for a metroid antagonist (used in metroid fusion) which I stuck for now as I wanted to avoid overuseing the main name. The "overseer" did destroy the Iono Feria, I believe in background they were native lifeforms to Zebes. You have to bear with me as I no longer have the Metroid manga in my possession or access to.

Also there is a nod in this chapter to another nintendo franchise if you noticed it.

Next chapter will be Lian II and proper introduction of the chief.


	9. Last hours of the Aegis VLian II

**The last hours of the Aegis V/Lian II**

* * *

Alarms flashed red within the hallways of the Aegis, it was a colour that matched the blood on the walls, a door hissed slowly opened, manually opened staggering out feeling sick to the teeth was the lone survivor, Veronica staggered and briefly vomited she survived the point range shootout, only she was the only one that survived it. She staggered to a wall, not thinking that there could be a battle raging around her, but there wasn't and she hands to the rails and breathed deeply, she could only recall flashes, their plasma weaponry exchanged with their ballistics, unshielded compared to them, but her team were more cool headed, just. Concentrated volley at the upper torso and a flash grenade bought some time. But her team was not shielded and for every shot someone screamed and parts of them disintegrated to the deadly heated weaponry. Maybe a minute or less and it her vs two but the one she focused on shooting down earlier crumbled when unshielded and it wasn't the body that was exposed but an un-thrown grenade-like object. It was what she had gambled on and shot it. There was a flash of green and she threw herself onto the floor but her back felt the burn of the blast and somehow she had survived. She spent time meddling with the door to get out, the longer she stayed the longer she was reminded there were people on the floor. When the doors opened she gasped and shook, she was still shaking now, the intense burst of violence and deafening sounds jilted her nerves, the gun was shaking in her hands despite her best efforts to discipline herself, she breathed and took step by step, there was a travelling sound of a thud across the upper hull, her eyes stared anxiously fearing a rupture into deep space. To make things worse she had no idea if the ship was moving, or was being directed back to those aliens.

Peering around the next hallway it became eerily quiet, a vacuum of no activity, but walls were damaged with spent firepower, there were some guns laying across, and while there some smears of redness around there were no bodies.

' **Help!'**

Shit!

She turned around with the gun ready to shoot, her mind then told her it was a human cry, a guy calling out for assistance. Either this place was vacant and the attackers had moved on or it was a trap but she took the risk.

'Keep shouting! I'm coming!'

Following the cry that came from the darker ends of the corridor with only the red emergency light dimming out a barely visible path, she shouted out for the voice again trying to get a fix, all the time being on watch, the last shout sounded closer to her left just passed a lockdown that failed to seal itself. Had it not failed she wouldn't had heard him, but that could had been the case with the many doors she longed past. How many were now the tombs for screaming men and women unable to escape what was hunting them?

There was nothing she could do on that thought, despite the perception, those who wore ONI and acted on behalf of it did have a soul and a care. She examined the ventilation grid that was rooted on the ground wall from the voice had sourced from and came again.

'I've been kicking this to no end! Pull it! Hurry!' He begged.

Veronica with both hands on the top of the grid swore as she pulled and swore some more the adrenaline fuelling her strength but sapping her stamina in the desperation to perform a miracle. The man inside was slamming repeatedly; the opening gave him a reason to muster new strength and try. Two more kicks followed and the gap was enough for him to squeeze out. Veronica saw Taylor Miles, not seen since the briefing at the bridge, now clambering out. He looked increasingly pale, fatigued, then noticed the bleeding on his covered arm.

'Miles? What happened?'

Taylor inhaled deeply while picking himself up trembling as she was, his immediate thoughts were to the bay. 'We barely got word there was an insurgent, next thing we knew she was gunning us down. The scientists weren't shot, yet as far I'm aware. I had to escape by ventilation duct.

'How long?'

'Don't know, but God this is killing me' Despite the pressure to the wound it wasn't making much difference to the blood loss.

'I was worried about that. We need to get out of here'

'Wait, the quarantine around the bay was broken, as well as the floors surrounding it. I only got out because all locks were torn, and been in that ventilation since hearing _something._ We need to get off this ship!'

'Where did it come from?'

'Listen we can'

'Now. Taylor I am ordering you for an answer'

'All I can think is that the insurgent activated something, maybe one of the relics we brought in because that's where the gunfire started from. I didn't get a good look, I didn't want to and neither should you'

'You're going to give me straight answers when were out, but we need to find something that can treat you that. '

'Sure..oh Christ look at you!'

It was then he realised how much of a bloody mess she looked, clothing stained with blood, not all of it was hers as haunting eyes revealed.

'I'm fine.' Was the insisted lie Let's find the way out ok?'

'Sure'

Weapons were clenched tightly, fingers tensed on the trigger pull with a slow prowl, surveying the existing dangers and planning where the next danger may come next. Veronica eyed the colour coded markings along the wall, each floor was designated by a letter and a number, the letter being the level of the floor and the number being the group and each floor came with its own colour pattern. The markings were painted with a type that made it stand out from the flashing klaxons, the colour stood out as purple and got where she now was. She had others people blood, Miles had his own and from a gunshot wound no less. She traced the nearest medbay...it was close to engineering and danger.

Still, what choice was there?

And as if on cue, the hull of their possible tomb grated in sound, the metal skin stressed not from the hull, but within the interior. Something big had charged through close to where they were, the walls dented outwards as a march of metal raced down. The sealed doors were smashed one by another, followed by a furious call of rage. The looked out to see the smashed glass and other debris and the wall they were near to buckled forward against something that treated the structure like it was a paper. They switched to an alternative route, fast. Running with Miles trying his hardest, holding a arm that was getting weaker, Veronica was worried Miles may face amputation if nothing was done about it soon. Even if meant getting close to engineering.

* * *

Even under duress she gave orders, the authority remained in her voice, but as the crisis got longer and became all the more worse was her throat sounding dry and her lips were trembling trying to tell herself to run from everything.

Anijah was one of the last remaining ranks that the troops looked to, she ordered a suppressing fire to give other non-combatants out of the danger zone, the suppression didn't last, a foe with significant savagery fitted with equally offensive technological advanced weaponry quickly became a one sided affair. It was ironic, a terrible one that the ones that were armed to handle this situation were among the first to die. What was a barrage of the two opposing evolutions of technologies had become now become less frequent from the marines, finding cover and thundering out short bursts and straying frantically across.

Something struck near, it sounded much like the heavy bangs that prelude the swarmed infestation, this one was close, a thunderous sound channeling through the walls, some of the aliens backed off, what was it?!

 ** _CRASSSHHH_**

She had no words to describe it specifically other than being a towering technological nightmare that wrapped round flesh, a monstrous humanoid that wore more plating than a scorpion tank, tearing through walls and with a hand, no claws, it was made entirely of three claws that scythed metal and anyone in it's length. Her voice was empty on her cry, authority was lost in her voice and anyone with a gun dropped it and all non combatants stopped, too terrified to move. There were low talks of praise from the aliens to this thing, mumblings of Upsilon echoed in chant, slowly moving them back. Then the thing spun back at them, his snarl was perfectly clear to Anijah's ears.

' **TAKE THEM!'**

The bloodshed had stopped, resistance was suppressed and for whatever horrible reason all who surrendered or could never fight to begin with were being picked and carried by force. Seeing and realising her turn could be next, she did the only things she could think of, eyeing a door that had not closed entirely and no one noticing she crawled shamefully out, there was nothing she could do but she still felt like it was abandoning her post, and those who died by her command, is this what they died for? She needed to think what to do and get away from here.

She tried contacting the bridge. Again. There was no answer, the same with her superior, no answer. There was no one, was this to be like the rumoured story of the Mona Lisa incident but on a larger scale? Her mentality was to simply slow and let her despair and do away with her soul and care, where she was left in the uncharted, without a weapon and an enemy they did not know of. If her uncle had saw her like this she imagined he would be ashamed at her panicked state while contradictory believing he still motivated her no matter the severity of the situation she was in.

Deep inhale, controlled and slow, exhaling all the stress for now from her mouth and looked at the end of the hallway as the start of a new objective. A marine never accepted defeat and while not one, she knew as painful as it was, to say no to defeat, even if it was certain meant there was still a chance.

She looked round closely she had walked on the walkway, a path with strong glass like material, there were cracks and while it looked like a breach was evident it was her surest route around. She could see how the invaders were preoccupied with staffing the hostages round the most exterior parts of the ship. Vulnerable spots in the hull. Was it possible there may be sent to other vulnerable parts in the ship. It meant the invaders still intended the crew to live, regardless of how long. She needed to find a comms part and maybe a new gun.

There was something else outside the windows, she noted the Aegis was nearing a new planet, in the middle of this either the bridge or invaders themselves directed the ship here. It took a few seconds to realise that it was Lian they were here and the ship was heading towards it. It also meant a battle between this and the defence force was imminent with something flying past. It didn't so much as fly past but orbited around pulling up strings of energy, the ship was engulfed in something and it wasn't the shielding she recognized in the past.

It went away from the ship, once seemingly attracted now repelled and it was heading to something, she could see a UNSC arriving fast, the thing rotated and…

Her jaw dropped at the destruction she saw brought, the vessel didn't stand a chance, now she had to get to comms as well as find a gun.

* * *

Light seeped out into the dark void of space, it peeled away before the sudden arrival bowing before the majesty that was the Infinity. It was the cutting edge, so much that other ships of the UNSC had not even blunted it's overall effectiveness. While those ships grafted some of Covenants existing technology the Infinity was a full on immersion along with innovation on existing technology to create something new. It was more than a vessel adopting extra-terrestrial technology. It was a new line of technological engineering a future for all ships to follow should mankind's future remain it's resilience in a galaxy full of challenges.

Now the flagship of that future faced it's latest challenge, a world under siege but from a new unknown adversary deploying a very different set of rules in it's warfare. Lasky looked at the holographic display depicting a three dimensional display, it showed more than the grids but the colour and high resolution of the planet and the ships.

'What we got?' Addressing the ship's A.I and Roland flicked visually in a spectre of gold and orange with a map highlighting the scan he had inputted and constructed on a 3D graph.

It had shown a two sections of debris scattered across a large section of space, the Infinity was on an immediate path to avoid the debris, though it was evident it was more than a debris it was the gravespot of two destroyed UNSC vessels. Heavy fighting had already taken place and third vessel was in the further back pulling away with spreading fires.

'Roland tell that ship to get out, we'll take this fight.'

'Message sent sir. We have the Aegis it's not responding to our signal and is on a direct path towards the facility on the planet.'

'Impact time?'

'Hard to determine, these objects are obscuring sensors' They looked to be circular objects, as a third one now jumped in from some open spatial point that remained open for maybe the invaders to go back to. The ring was orbiting around the none responsive Aegis and gone past. A small calculation of stats shows a spike in the flow, knowing the chart inside out Lasky's eyes caught the severity.

'The Aegis is powering those rings?'

'It looks to be that way, and whatever it is those rings are doing absolute destruction, the spread of the other debris shows spewing outwards with no heat signature of conventional weaponry.

'Further our distance by another 4km, and keep that as we circle round them'

'Sir we'd be well out of weapons range'

'And we'll be destroyed if we get closer!'

Lasky had a good idea what they were up against. The shredded force of two vessels and the nature of the rings. They had no visible mounts, he suspected only forerunner heritage can do something like this but if so why pass through the Aegis?

'What can you say about the rings? Anything forerunner?'

'The designs are a clear mimicry of the installations but just that, their recent and crude...the ring that passed has just been spiked with some kind of energy. Readings are coming in-'

'A kinetic force' Lasky knew. The rings were feeders, the device was in the ship. Requim brought memories of a gravity pull sending the Infinity crashing. He was certain that someone had innovated an offensive system around whatever captured forerunner technology they had on the Aegis. He now looked grimly at the battlefield, the previous ships were torn apart by brute kinetic force, a sickening way to go.

'The rings are heading our way, closing fast.'

'Increase speed. I want that distance maintained!' The problem was the Aegis was on a collision course with the planet and the facility to protect. He tapped on the Aegis status, it wasn't good news. Latest scan indicated large numbers of crew concentrated in key areas of the ship, engineering, outer hull near damaged areas and any other parts where a chain reaction could be set off, all directed seemingly by two foreign entities. One was in close range of where the crews mostly were, looking at the pattern it looks the crew were held as living shields. Would he have to take the life of non combatants? It seems this newfound enemy was daring him too.

The other foreign entity was spreading like wildfire within the heart of the Aegis, he had no idea if destroying the ship would unleash an biological weapon all over the upcoming straphsocope of Liam. The scan did reveal while the Aegis was shielded it would flicker against the strength of what the Infinity had to offer.

'If we jump close' Asking Roland 'Will those rings gain on us'

'Without question. They'll utilize the energy they sapped from the Aegis to gain on us. How close do you want us to jump in?'

'Enough to drop in some Spartans'

* * *

It was a sight that briefly caught the fascination of his mindset, Ridley always had a curious appreciation to things newly or simply re-discovered but the meaning behind it was never kind and was instead mixed with a feeling of exploit or malice.

Interestingly the arrival of the Infinity that he witnessed from the otherside of the wormhole, for a moment, was intrigued by it's dramatic arrival, more so because he thought about _if only_.

If only he wondered bitterly, that the Infinity was taken as it should been when constructed. If only Zebes was not gone. The bitterness became more and more resentful at the ones he blamed and despised. If only I known a Spartan would had saved me the grief. If only everyone could shoot straight once in a while! If only she was dead. **IF. IF. IF. IF!**

He restrained his anger, burying those self-failing reminders one more time and looked at the silver line, it was only natural he chose to see opportunity, not that he was optimist but that he was a pirate and therefore an opportunist. Every reveal new or re-acquainted was always an opportunity to extract something to his taste.

Ilsa stood nearby but nonetheless kept a close eye on that tail with a scythe on it's end dragging across the floor waiting for its master's anger to lash out and claim someone. Ridley though was in check for once, in the dragon's mind the Infinity was to be expected humanity had a habit of creating a singular piece suited to be the flag bearer, their own little superhero, so of course it's appearance was to be expected! which was why the orders hadn't changed, it was still opposition to be destroyed though it probably could endure quite well, which improved its chances of being salvageable.

'Great Commander' A lesser pirate, spoke to inform of a transmission coming from Oorion II, he had been expecting this as well, though to the point where he starting to get a bit impatient over the time it took, he didn't mince his words when he activated the transmission speaking at the hologram, he expected someone obedient, easy to twist according to his words, what he got was a glare directly at him. He scowled back at the image.

'Who the hell are you?'

* * *

They took position on this apocalyptic wasteland, a harshness that even a Jiralhanae would find unbearable if not for their own environmental suits, those that weren't outside exposed to the harshness were in the dropships taking watch and getting ready to extract what was asked. In on ship in particular stood the representative of this self-made co-operative force of Jiralhanese, Sangheili and Unggoy. He was the ruthless and aggressive acting leader,enforcing Atriox's strategy on his behalf, and was now speaking on behalf of Atriox to this 'thing'

The hologram depicted the creature as quite tall but he doubted it was a true reflection of the beast's size, he was warned in advance about it. The Covenant had labelled it as a Geoform, it was however also very powerful.

Despite being with Atriox from the beginning when their rebellion from the covenant and established he never dealt with the Geoform directly till now.

Atriox never said how he gained alliance with this...thing. Just that somewhere along the line he made contact, or maybe it made contact with, and a deal was arranged. The creature would handle certain matters that would threaten the mythos of the banished invulnerability and that they would supply it with technology from the covenant, letting the Geoform distribute arms among worlds opposed or fearful of the covenant...so as to make a profit and other petty interests.

While for Atriox it meant he could slow their advance and strength by seeing every invading frontier becomes a blood bath for them. He did not appreciate setting up more horrors of war to his compatriots but he needed to be seen to be in the right that the Covenant were butchers, even if he was seeing it that the knives were supplied to the other side by hands other than his own.

The end game was to see the covenant fanaticism become their undoing where every warrior under their command would succumb to the bloody tiredness of war, raging against their masters with the banished appearing onto the fray, uniting all creed alike leading under a banner of a full scale insurrection, with his own flagship, asked from the Geoform and recommissioned to a better sounding name than Infinity...

Soell though changed everything. It had worried Atroix at the time. According to him when disclosing this, the Geoform had a solution, a ship for a planet. Atriox had discovered an old forerunner ship, a very large one and could have been used for his grand plan. And the Geoform knew about it.

Atriox told him that the Geoform had the resources to get that ship running and would use it on a planet that had the means to challenge the installation. Had it all gone accordingly then Atriox was certain he could have brought down the Covenant by attacking Soell from Zebes. A small force was even sent to Zebes to help speed up the preparations, only to learn about the disaster that both the ship and the planet were gone. A disaster hushed up because of it's calamity and the murkiness that Atriox may have intentionally blighted the lives of those he said were oppressed just so they can be desperate enough to shackle their chains to him for freedom at sight.

Atriox only told him when he had received a message from his supposed ally; seemingly back from the dead, or more to it, from hiding. The Geoform was after a deal.

It was a staggering revelation given happened at Soell, how everything was "saved" because of a measly human that earned the namesake 'Demon' from his accomplishments, a fancy title for someone that had stumbled upon a facility by chance that was to be handled by the banished!

And yet the Geoform still comes out of the shadows as if he was not at fault! Such arrogance!

Atriox would not come back to failed dealings unless there was still something to salvage, he knew the creature could provide them something they needed. There was still a deal if Atriox sees one, but he had instructed him to make it tough for the creature, match it's threats with strength.

'..Who the hell are you?' Snarled the Geoform.

Atriox's right hand thumped his chest.

'I am the general that Atriox calls to, I bring him victory and the heads of his enemies. You will know me as Decimus. Geoform'

The "Geoform" didn't take too kindly to Decimus assertiveness the holographic image leaned closer. 'I see no general, just a little _wild slave_ of Atriox's. Now fetch me someone who is what you claim to be'

'I am a general! And the general you answer to! Atriox told me all about you'

'If only I could say the same about you'

'We gave you a ship on our behalf and you lost it, along with a planet! You should be thankful the humans stumbled upon Soell. Not lecturing us about schedules. You owe us'

'Owe?' It was more the audacity then what was said that irked the Geoform. ' **OWE?!** ' His voice exploding into rage with, the hologram was now closely mirroring the creature's true size. 'I'm the one that kept Atriox mythos intact! Created the reputation to his name without the credit. If I wanted I could have taken away all his honours. Wild slave'

Yet Decimus remained steadfast. This was to be expected. It was quick to anger but he knew despite the threats he won't turn, he needed support but at the same time the aggressive diplomacy was to make it clear the banished will not be manipulated by it.

'Should you try, then you will know my name. I am here to amend terms'

'What terms?'

'We need another hour to extract the complex entirely'

'Unacceptable! Are you seriously trying to bargain with me? I said in half hour the moment you landed!'

'The banished are the air and ground specialists that you lack. Or have been lacking since-'

'Don't push it!' He warned, teeth baring, but Decimus was seeing something else, a hesitating hint towards a compromise. 'If your saying it can't be done in that time-'

'I can do it!'

Decimus posture broke, his stern face shown alarm, in contrast the hologram of the Geroform turned his eyes with a crafty smile, he had seen a winning card.

'What was that?' Asked the Geoform towards the claimant, purposely playing it cool.

Decimus looked to see his eyes however looking to whose neck he would break and found out it was the new one that said it.

The one who said it wasn't new to the Banished as a whole he was the newest member that entered Atriox's circle of officers, young in age and glory-seeking for his own and Atriox. He had clearly been eavesdropping, waiting for his opportunity to impress.

'Voridus!' Cursed Decimus but the holographic Geoform used both its voice and physical size to obscure and trivialize Decimus authority quickly.

'Ah Voridus, now that was a name Atroix talked off most fondly' Decimus could see how much a blatant lie it was but to the young lieutenant he absorbed the statement without a shred of doubt.

'Your accomplishments are legendary, he told me himself. It is so pleasing to see to Atriox influence forged into the spirit of the latest generation of his people. You are a model of the future he strives for. In fact I was just about to mention to my "friend" here-'

An eye and a small reveal of teeth from the lips were present at Decimus for no less then the word lasted, hidden in the continuation of his lies.

'-that I know someone who can this done on time because Atriox spoke of you, Voridus, above everyone else, as someone who can get things done. Exceed his expectations'

'I will!'

'That's wonderful to hear, oh and by all means call me, Ridley. That's what my generals call me'

Ridley's hologram turned to Decimus. The threat cryptic. 'In half hour' And signed off.

'You hear that?' Vordius looked smug as if his inexperience just solved a matter experience could not. Decimus gave a look of murderous intent. 'You Idiot!'

'What? I just got his favour by acting as an inbetween. Atriox is going to be pleased with how I got that Ridley on our terms'

'Ou-Our terms?! IMBECILE! That isn't its name, It's a mockery! And a mockery on you!'

He was three steps away from beating the idiot to death when on the second step came the older brother, experienced and self-restrained individual even for a Jiralhanese but when it came to family he would pick brother other any rank save Atriox. Decimus though was not him and Pavium knew that, he looked up at Decimus, the latter being taller but it was not off-putting in the slightest.

Decimus refrained himself. Pavium wasn't a push over and nor was he unpopular, he did not need enemies within this room. Instead he glared at the older of the two brothers.

'Both of you have thirty minutes' Dragging Pavium into it out of spite 'To clear out a complex that we barely started on'

And how did Voridus react? With a nudge to his brother hinting that this should be fun.

* * *

So they were here reunited at last, and under the circumstances perhaps it was to be expected, Spartans only ever really rallied round battle after all.

For as long as anything was Blue team was at last assembled, three had fought without the fourth for so long, years even. Absence was no barrier for the fourth, he knew the other three too well, that and he was John-117 The Master Chief. If Spartans were the cutting edge of human augmentation then John was the cutting edge of all Spartans now and before. It was his commitment to see things to the end that made a lone Spartan he would go further than any other, if he flowed with war it was because he was in tuned with it. He had no pause, hesitation and doubt. All he ever had was someone who did not judge him, supportive even if he didn't show it back, it would be betray his mindset and demeanour. To be called and answer only when needed.

Now though he only sought distraction, battle, operations and war had given him that escapism to ignore that disturbed realisation that he did in fact need someone, but could he admit to it? Live knowing it?

'Status?' He asked towards his companions, the status was confirmed not too long ago but he wanted his mind switched to the situation pressing and not the one haunting him.

'I'm good' Said Fred

'Ready still' Confirmed Linda.

'Samuel is locked and ready'

Chief turned to see Kelly patting what should be an assault rifle and it was but she christened it with a name of a fallen that was dear to them all. A history that was deep in memory and to Kelly was now personified in the form of her gun. Chief simply nodded in approval. He stared at the space beneath, any moment they would drop out of the small force field opening into space and onto their goal. Assuming everything went according that was, it was always the seconds ticking that made him anxious after all the years of service it was still that.

'You going to give your gun a name John?' Asked Fred.

'Maybe' Though with no hint if he would give it much consideration into it, simply making his response quick and short, in the presence of his own he did not feel very open to engage with a casual tone.

'Blue Team' Said Lasky via audio comm 'Were going to jump immediately, you're going to drop fast as we fire. No promise on window time for shields. Just get in fast.'

'Understood' Confirmed the master chief.

'Remember when in we need to shut down the tech they got on their and secure non-combatants.'

What Fred said was sound, he recalled the orders and the Chief knew them but there was something else a...faint echo of a past spoke to him subconsciously, triggered by the circumstance, about following the orders...acting too much like ma-

'We change that' Chief said suddenly. 'We secure the outer hull and move into engineering.'

'John?' Chief didn't answer back to Fred, on the spot the initial plan was changed.

'Chief' Repeated John. 'There are lives at stake onboard here'

'I know, but the Aegis is no different. We save everyone'

'...Alright John, you're the Chief'

'Right beside you Chief' Said Linda strongly showing immediate support. Kelly followed.

'Firing where you lead Chief'

Chief clocked his gun, the Infinity buckled softly, the flash of light outside the softly shielded drop window confirmed it as the flash went, so did blue team jump falling, seeing the weapon from the infinity strike the shielding of the Aegis.

The opening was there, and the Spartans flew in.

* * *

AN: Much sooner to finish, this wasn't straight forward to do, but I have taken sometime to look up on additional Halo lore including Samuel and at this stage is the reveal to Ridley's other partner. For the record the 'forerunner' ship the banished gave to Ridley to capture Zebes isn't lore, however Ridley capturing Zebes with a ship was, (at least in the manga) he used a ship the Chozo had not come across before, and it's a huge one for that matter. So I saw it as an opportunity to have that be a forerunner vessel the banished uncovered and was part of their joint enterprise.

While the story started off with NPC's it was done so to establish the world as while the master chief is iconic he's simply a passenger in the Halo story, it took perceptions of other characters in the Halo story (including the Arbitor in Halo 2) to see the story expand. If I'm using NPC's (be it novel or original) it's not to take the chief's role but to expand areas where he cannot possibly be at the time.

As for the weapons Infinity is facing, fan creation though it's based on the pirates ideology, if their not destroying or plundering then their copying existing designs and try to make more potent versions.


End file.
